Closer Together
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: AU- Harry and Hermione have been seeing each other for a long time. But Hermione makes a discovery that will change their lives forever. How will the two of them handle it? We shall see! HP/HG It is finished!
1. A Certain Charm

Closer Together

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe. I just own this story.

(Side Note: If any of you are Star Trek fans, could you take a look at my story entitled Humble Beginnings? It's complete, but in need of reviews. Oh, and are there any fans of CATS the musical here [if anyone here is, please let me know.] Thanks!)

Note: This opens up just before the incident at the Ministry of Magic. Imagine a scenario where Harry and Hermione became involved with each other. Truthfully, they're my favorite couple.

Hermione Granger had seen better days. Recently she had been feeling dizzy at random intervals and she had been having odd food cravings. Even Ron herself was somewhat interested in her eating habits, as she had at one time eaten a lamb chop and a piece of chocolate cake at the same time. But nobody seemed to notice how dizzy she was.

Nobody, that is, except for her boyfriend, Harry Potter. Harry had grown concerned for her. He had been constantly asking her if she was alright. Apparently saying "Yes, Harry, I'm fine" was not good enough. At many a time, she felt that she would have to shout at him that she was fine. But she just couldn't bring herself to shout at him.

She had a good idea about the reasons for her physical condition. She didn't want to believe it, but decided that she should find out as soon as possible. If what she suspected was true… she didn't even want to think about it. Not at that time, at least.

The week before O.W.L.s began, Hermione decided that she would get down to the bottom of things. She went to the library and checked out a book that contained several very advanced spells. Madame Pince allowed her to borrow the book and take it to the Gryffindor common room.

While she walked back to the Gryffindor tower, she thought back to the night that she and Harry had shared together.

By that night, Dolores Umbridge had already assumed the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts. She had initiated several more Educational Decrees. One of them specifically forbade boys and girls from having close relationships. But, of course, Harry had always been a fan of breaking the rules, and he didn't care how many Educational Decrees Umbridge passed; she wasn't going to keep him from Hermione.

On the night in question, Harry invited Hermione into the boy's dormitory. She was impressed by how he had gotten Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean to let him have the dorm to himself for half the night. They had snuck out to meet with Hagrid to pass the time. But inside the Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Hermione were having a passion-filled evening together.

Hermione had always been a strict interpreter of rules, and had at first tried to talk Harry out of what he was suggesting, but soon realized that she was deceiving herself. She wanted Harry, and she knew that he wanted her. So they decided to get closer in their relationship that night.

The two of them had sat down on Harry's bed. Harry had taken off his glasses and placed them on his nightstand. Sure, he could not see clearly without them, but given the fact that Hermione's gorgeous face was less than a foot away from his, he could perfectly make out every detail of it.

Hermione in turn took some time to study Harry's face. She admired his luscious green eyes, his nose and mouth, but the most attractive feature was the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. She found his scar attractive in a most unusual way. It may have been the very imprint of Voldemort onto Harry, but it still brought Hermione a warm and sensual feeling. After all, it was part of him.

Without further ado, the two of them closed their eyes and brought their lips together. Their lips were connected for almost twenty seconds. Then they kissed for at least three minutes, remaining upright the whole time. When they came apart, Harry said "You're… you're a wonderful kisser, Hermione."

"So are you." she smiled. Suddenly, a deviously sly thought entered her mind. She looked at Harry and hinted "Harry, who's to say that we should keep it at kissing?"

Harry was a little alarmed by that comment. He had always known Hermione to be the responsible one, and the one with good judgment. He hesitantly asked her "Are you sure that's a good idea, Hermione?"

She shrugged and asked him "Why not? You're a young man; I'm a young woman. Now's as good a time as any."

Harry smiled and said "Okay, then. If you think we're ready, then who am I to debate it?"

Hermione brought her hands to the hem of Harry's shirt. He lifted his arms in the arm and allowed her to pull it over his head. She was impressed by how strongly-built he was. Even though he had been abused by his aunt, uncle, and cousin for the first eleven years of his life, he had managed to keep his body in great physical condition.

Next it was Harry's turn. Hermione lifted her arms in the air as he grasped the hem of her shirt. Slowly, he pulled it over her head and moved it to the side. Her curly brown hair cascaded over her head and extended down to her shoulders. Hermione gazed lovingly at her chest; her rose-colored bra caressed her breasts firmly.

They helped each other out of their pants next. Finally, Harry was just wearing his plaid boxers and Hermione just had on her rose-colored bra and panties.

The two of them brought their lips back together and lay down on the bed. They had never gotten this close in any relationship before, but they were happy that they had saved their first time for each other.

Shortly after this, all of their clothes were lying on the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, they were lying next to each other under the covers. Hermione just turned her head to look at Harry and told him "That was wonderful."

All of that happened three full weeks ago. In the present time, Hermione approached the Fat Lady outside the entrance to the Gryffindor tower and said the new password, "Firebrand." The Fat Lady swung open to let her inside.

As soon as she was inside, she ran up to the girls' dormitory, hoping that neither of her roommates would be in their room.

Fortunately for her, the room she shared with Pavarti Patil and Lavender Brown was empty. Her relief lasted only a moment; she quickly went over to her bed, sat down, and gazed at the book in front of her. She flipped through the book and found the section she wanted. The charm she was looking for was right where she had expected it to be. Conveniently, there was a live-animation picture there to demonstrate how to properly conduct the charm.

After ten minutes of reading over the instructions carefully, Hermione took out her wand and held it in her right hand. She held out her left hand in front of her and gently tapped a certain part of her palm with it. Nothing happened. She tried again. Once again, there were no results. Nor were there any results for the next six times she tried. But on the ninth time, her wand started giving off a type of yellow-ochre light. The light remained where it was. Hermione looked down at the book and read it to herself word for word "If, on the ninth try, your wand illuminates a yellow-ochre speck of light and keeps illuminating afterwards, then the results are positive. You are indeed-"

"Hey, Hermione!" she heard her roommate Pavarti Patil call out. Hermione quickly hid the book under her pillow and turned around. Pavarti and her best friend Lavender entered the room and crossed over to her.

"You will not believe what just happened!" Lavender waved her arms in the air. "Peeves just wrote on the door to Umbridge's office 'Do not disturb the troll!'"

She and Pavarti burst out laughing. Hermione pretended to look interested in the topic of Peeves expressing his opinion about Umbridge, but she could not get her mind off what she had just discovered. It didn't take Pavarti and Lavender long to realize that something was up.

"Hermione, what were you reading when we came in here?" asked Pavarti.

"Reading?" said Hermione. "I wasn't reading anything."

"Then what did you hide under that pillow?" asked Lavender.

"Oh, nothing." Hermione desperately tried to act casual.

"Hermione, you're the smartest person in our year." said Pavarti. "Surely you know that Lavender and I are neither dumb nor gullible."

Hermione told her friend "I never said anything that would suggest I think that, Pavarti!"

"Good!" said Lavender, approaching Hermione's bed. "Then you can tell us what you were reading."

Pavarti held Hermione back while Lavender grabbed the book out from under the pillow on her bed. Frantic, Hermione said "No, wait, don't!"

But it was no use. Lavender glimpsed at the page that Hermione had been studying, and her jaw almost dropped. She then spotted Hermione's wand under the pillow. It was still giving off that yellow-ochre hue.

Lavender gradually looked up at Hermione, and a look of utter disbelief came over her face.

She slowly and quietly breathed four words: "Hermione… are you pregnant?"


	2. Telling Harry

Pavarti could only stare at Hermione. Like Lavender, she was too stunned to speak. Hermione had considered the two of them to be her two best female friends, and she had always been singled out as the responsible one. She was the female Gryffindor Prefect and a model student for virtually the entire school. She was certainly the least likely to get pregnant at sixteen years of age.

Hermione just nodded slowly in response to Lavender's question. Tears were starting to fill her eyes. Pavarti held her closely and let her sob into her shoulder.

"It's alright, Hermione." Pavarti whispered gently into her ear. "Everything's going to be alright."

Lavender walked over to her two friends and patted Hermione gently on the back. While doing so, she almost demanded "Who's the father?"

"Harry." Hermione whispered.

The other two looked at each other, surprised to hear her answer.

"I thought that you were seeing Ron." said Pavarti. "And wasn't Harry seeing Cho?"

"I was," Hermione nodded, still burying her face in her friend's shoulder, "and he was. But not anymore. We've been having a clandestine relationship with each other ever since Umbridge became Headmistress."

"When did this happen?" asked Pavarti.

"It happened a few weeks ago." Hermione explained. "It was the night I spent in the boys' dormitory with Harry."

"I suppose we should have warned you not to spend more than three hours alone with him." said Pavarti. "But we didn't, and now this has happened because he seduced you."

Hermione looked up at Pavarti. She told her "Actually… I was the one that seduced him."

Lavender and Pavarti had to stop themselves from bursting into laughter. They could imagine Harry tempting Hermione, but the other way around was just ridiculous. However, the humorous expressions on their faces dropped when Hermione told them that she was completely serious.

She felt ashamed to admit it, but she just couldn't let them blame Harry for something that wasn't his fault. She had been the one to suggest that they do more than just kiss, and she had just discovered the results.

"What are you going to do about this?" asked Lavender.

"I don't know yet." said Hermione. "I'm going to consult a physician before I do anything. There's a chance that the test is inaccurate."

"What do you mean?" inquired Pavarti.

Hermione explained "You see, magical pregnancy tests are just like Muggle pregnancy tests- neither of them is always fully reliable. To be absolutely sure, you need to speak with a registered doctor."

"Who are going to consult?" inquired Lavender.

"Madame Pomfrey." Hermione answered. "She's the best nurse I've ever known. She also respects her patients' wishes, so I'm sure she'll keep this quiet as long as she can."

"Well, if you are pregnant, then you won't be able to keep this secret for long, you know." Pavarti reminded her. "Eventually you're going to have to tell your parents, your teachers… and, of course, Harry."

Hermione just looked down at the ground and nodded. She said "I know. But I don't want either of you mentioning a word of this to anyone. Alright?"

They nodded as she went to pick up her wand and took the book back from Lavender. As she loaded the two items into her book bag, Lavender asked her "Who are you going to tell first? Your parents, your teachers, or Harry?"

Hermione threw the straps of her book bag around her shoulders and answered "Harry. If I really am pregnant, he's the father. Hence, it seems most appropriate for him to be the first to know."

"You mean the first apart from us." Pavarti assumed.

"Well, he would have been the first, had you two not showed up right when I was performing the charm." Hermione had a slight note of irritation in her voice. She was partially annoyed that Lavender and Pavarti had just burst into the room while she was conducting the Pregnancy Charm. But of course, that was their room, too. They had as much of a right to come and go as they pleased as she did.

Hermione was just about to leave when Lavender asked one final question: "If you are pregnant, then what are you and Harry going to do about it?"

Hermione had asked herself this question several times already. She just turned to her friends and said "I don't know. We'll have to talk about it." She turned back to the door and left the girls' dormitory.

Harry was the Great Hall having lunch with his best friend, Ron Weasley. The two of them usually had lunch with Hermione, but she had already eaten about an hour before the rest of them. That day of the week was Saturday, and on the weekends students were allowed to have lunch anytime between 11:00 and 2:00. Hermione had eaten at 11:30, and Harry and Ron were eating at 12:30.

While they ate, they took some time to look over some notes they had borrowed from Hermione for Potions class. They would be having a quiz the following Tuesday, and they wanted to cram as much as possible.

Ten minutes later, Hermione walked into the Great Hall and found them sitting about halfway down the Gryffindor table. She went over to them and sat down across from them. In her normally serious tone, she said "Good afternoon."

Harry and Ron briefly glanced up at her and said "Hey." Ron's mouth was fully of food when he said it, so it sounded more like "Hae" coming from him. The two of them then returned their focus to the notes.

As she watched them eat, Hermione began thinking about the whole concept of parenthood. Sure, she always wanted to have children someday, but she had never expected to become a mother while she was still in school.

Then another thought came to her mind. She thought about Harry as a father. Personally, she believed he would make a great father, as he was very kind and loving, especially to her.

More than anything, she thought about how Harry would take the news. She was unsure how he would handle it.

Would he be unwilling or reluctant to accept the responsibilities of fatherhood? Uneasiness began to set inside Hermione at that thought. But that feeling faded away as she considered the possibility that he would be willing to accept the responsibility. After all, she had gotten to know Harry well over the course of the past five years. He was not the type that would try to run away from responsibilities.

About a half-hour later, Harry finished his lunch and collected up his belongings. Ron was still eating and had decided to stay behind. Hermione decided that it was best to tell him then. But first she wanted to wait until they were surrounded by less people.

The two of them walked to the entrance of the Great Hall. Once outside the door, Hermione pulled Harry to the side and told him "Harry… we really need to talk."

He gave her a friendly grin and told her "Sure, Hermione. What would you like to talk about?"

Hermione could only look down at her feet in apprehension. She tried to pick out the best way to tell him about her… "condition."

"What is it?" he placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted her head up until their eyes were connected.

"Well, it has to do with the night you and I spent in your dormitory." she began

"I would say that that was a night worthy of remembrance." Harry playfully joked. But when he saw the look on Hermione's face, he dropped the jovial attitude and suddenly became somewhat worried for her.

"What I'm about to tell you will undoubtedly affect both our lives." Hermione told him, trying to be subtle.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry was growing more concerned for her with every passing moment.

"Harry, I'm going to speak to Madame Pomfrey about something." she explained. "This certain thing directly involves you, so I want you to come with me."

"Of course. But I have to know; are you sick? Do you have a terminal illness?" Harry was close to becoming hysterical. Even after she shook her head no, he wanted to know what the problem was.

Finally, Hermione told him the truth: "I believe I may be pregnant."

That was the last thing Harry remembered before he fainted.


	3. Starting To Make Plans

In response to a comment posted by Tpolich: My political and moral views are totally irrelevant in this story. I just make accurate assumptions based on what I know about the characters in regards to such matters.

When he came to, Harry slowly opened his eyes. His glasses had been removed. He sat up and looked around himself. He could make out Hermione sitting in a chair next to him. She handed him his glasses, which he quickly slipped back on.

He looked around the room. He was in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office and noticed Harry sitting up.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said. She walked over to him and asked him "How are you doing, Mr. Potter?"

"I'm fine, Madame Pomfrey, thank you." Harry was about to get up when Madame Pomfrey held him back. He decided not to struggle with her, so he lay back down and asked her "What happened?"

Hermione enlightened him: "After I told you… the news, you fainted and hit your head very hard against the solid ground. Madame Pomfrey tells me that it gave you a mild concussion, but other than that, you'll be fine."

"That's good to know." Harry commented. He looked up at Madame Pomfrey, and noticed she did not have a very positive expression on her face. "Is something wrong, Madame Pomfrey?"

"I would have thought you'd be able to answer that question for yourself, Potter." she said solemnly. "Miss Granger told me that you fainted because of something she said. I was astounded to hear what it was she told you."

"Wait; then tell me, Hermione," Harry sat up and looked into his girlfriend's eyes, "are you pregnant?"

She just looked down at her hands and slowly nodded. "While you were asleep, Madame Pomfrey ran a full health examination test on me. I am pregnant."

Harry noticed that her eyes were starting to sparkle with tears. He couldn't help but feel deep personal love for her right then. He pulled Hermione into a tight embrace, and she looped her arms around his body. They hugged each other for close to a minute.

When they came apart, Harry looked into Hermione's eyes and asked her "What do you think we should do about this?"

"That depends." She looked up from her chair at Madame Pomfrey and inquired "What **can **we do about this?"

"Well, a Muggle couple would probably resort to terminating the pregnancy." said Madame Pomfrey.

"Madame Pomfrey, I am astounded that you would think either Harry or I would want to do something as horrendous as that." said Hermione.

"She's right." said Harry. "We aren't killers. Muggles may be okay with aborting children, but both Hermione and I are better than that."

"I am glad to hear that." Madame Pomfrey brought a kind grin onto her face. "You see, in the wizarding world, such an act is viewed as an abomination. If you wish, I can perform a series of charms to protect the fetus from any possible harm."

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey." said Harry. "But we still have yet to decide what we should do when the baby comes."

"In that case, you can either put the baby up for adoption," said the doctor, "or you can keep it."

Harry and Hermione were unsure about putting their child up for adoption. Harry looked into Hermione's eyes and brushed a few locks of her curly light brown hair out of her eyes. He smiled and her and said "I don't know about you, Hermione, but I want to keep it."

Hermione looked her boyfriend in the eyes and said "Are you sure?"

He nodded and told her "I want to be the father I never had. And apart from that, just look at what you and I have been through together. I mean, if we can fend off Voldemort-" when he said that, Madame Pomfrey quivered, but Hermione herself had gotten used to saying Voldermort's name aloud, so she was not affected- "then I'm sure we can handle parenthood."

Hermione could see in his eyes that he was completely serious. She looked down at her figure and placed her hand against her lower chest. She felt a rush of emotions passing through her. It was at that very moment that she realize just how much she wanted the child that was growing inside of her.

She looked back up at Harry and told him "Alright. We'll keep it."

Madame Pomfrey smiled as she watched the young couple make their plans for the future. Even though she greatly disapproved of teenage parenthood, she believed that Harry and Hermione would make great parents.

Even though solving the dilemma about what to do with the baby solved a few things, Harry and Hermione still had a lot to anticipate for the future.

"My parents will probably throw me out when I give them the news." Hermione predicted.

"I'm sure that the Dursleys won't be thrilled at all, either." said Harry. "But all the same, I'm going to have to face them when I go back to Privet Drive at the end of June."

"We'll work on finding a place later." Hermione assured him. "In the meantime, I've been wondering; do we have enough money to support a baby?"

Harry almost laughed at Hermione's last question. He knew that his parents had left him enough money to care for five children. He had more than enough to take care of himself, Hermione, and their child.

"Don't you worry a thing about money." he said, playfully pinching her cheek. "I've got more than enough as it is."

She smiled at him. She was so happy at that moment. Not only was Harry supporting her decision to have the baby, but he was going to help her raise it, too. That meant so much to her.

After discussing their plans for the future for a short amount of time, they turned to the school nurse and addressed her. Harry said "Madame Pomfrey, Hermione and I have a personal request."

"Name it, Harry." she listened closely.

"Do you suppose that you could keep this matter quiet for a little while?" Harry requested.

"Well, I can keep it secret for as long as I legally can," Pomfrey began, "but it will be impossible to hide it for very long when Miss Granger starts to show signs of her upcoming maternity."

Harry and Hermione understood Madame Pomfrey's reasoning. They decided that they would tell Ron and his sister Ginny, but they would keep it a secret from everyone else for the time being.

Madame Pomfrey issued Hermione a list of foods and beverages she should consume to keep the fetus strong and healthy. She also made appointments for Hermione to come in every other week to make a progress report. After she had arranged all of this, she released Hermione and Harry from the Hospital Wing.

The two lovers walked casually back to the Gryffindor common room with their book bags over around their shoulders. As they walked, Harry was imagining what the future would be like. Parenthood was something of an alien concept to him. But he felt that he and Hermione would manage everything if they stuck together.

Also as they walked, he looked down at Hermione's lower chest. It was still a difficult notion for Harry to grasp; he had actually impregnated **the** Hermione Granger. It all seemed so odd to him.

Hermione noticed this and stopped. Harry stopped with her. She asked him "Is there something on your mind, Harry?"

He faced her in the middle of the corridor and shook his head. The two of them stood face-to-face and they held each other's hands.

"I just want you to remember one thing, Hermione." Harry looked into her eyes, creating an idyllic atmosphere of unity between the two of them. "I will always be here for you. For both of you."

He placed his right hand on Hermione's lower chest. She hadn't even begun to show yet, but both she and Harry knew that for the next eight months, a new life would be growing inside there. It was a life they had helped to create, and a life they would be looking after for the rest of their own lives.


	4. What Can The Future Hold

"SHE'S WHAT?" shouted Ron, jumping to his feet.

Harry and Hermione had gathered with Ginny and Ron in the front room of the Gryffindor common room. They had gotten comfortable on the couches in front of the fireplace. Harry and Hermione sat on the one positioned in front of the fireplace, and Ron and Ginny sat on the one to their right.

At that time, the four of them were the only ones in the room. All the figures in the paintings were fast asleep, but Ron had almost woken a few of them up when he shouted. Harry and Hermione had decided to tell them that they were expecting a baby as quickly as possible. Therefore, they saw it fit to tell them just a few hours after they themselves had discovered the truth.

"He said I'm pregnant, Ronald." Hermione responded calmly and clearly.

"I know he said that!" said Ron, sitting back down. "It just seems a little hard to believe."

"You're telling me." said Harry. "I fainted when she told me."

"It was funny at the time," Hermione commented, "but you almost scared me out of my wits, Harry."

"I'm sorry." he said jokingly, snuggling closer to her on the couch. "I won't do that again.

Ron watched his two best friends get closer together. He still could not believe that they were

"What are you planning to do about this?" asked Ginny, who seemed to be handling the news a lot better than Ron.

"We have decided to keep it." Hermione answered. "Harry doesn't have to take inventory of his vault at Gringotts to know that we have more than enough to support a baby."

"When's your due date?" asked Ron.

"Sometime in February." said Hermione. "Madame Pomfrey estimates it will be sometime around Valentine's Day."

Not another word was spoken between the four of them for a long time. In the end, Ginny could only say "Well… I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, Ginny." said Harry. "I just hope that we'll be able to balance school and parenthood equitably for our last year and a half at Hogwarts."

"For what it's worth, I admire your decision." Ron assured them. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Well, I think that my parents will throw me out of the house when I give them the news." Hermione admitted. "I'll just need a place to stay for July and August."

"You can always come stay with us at The Burrow." Ron offered. "Mum would be happy to help out in any way she could."

"I'll take whatever help I can get to prepare." Harry looked at Hermione. "The Dursleys will not take this well at all, but quite frankly, I don't care about their opinion."

The two of them firmly embraced each other. Ron and Ginny just looked at the pair, and then they looked at each other and grinned.

Ron and Ginny went to bed about twenty minutes later. Harry and Hermione were left alone in the front room, sitting on the couch positioned directly in front of the fireplace. The two of them sat close together and gazed into the flue full of burning logs. Hermione was resting her head on Harry's left shoulder; he had his left arm around her and was rubbing her arm gently.

Another thought suddenly occurred to Harry. He looked down at Hermione and addressed it to her "I wonder how Sirius and the rest of the Order will take the news."

"I don't know." she replied. "They'll probably be shocked at first. But I don't think they'll judge us for this. Most of the Order seems to be very understanding."

He knew she was right. But the assurance he had received with that answer was very short-lived. Just a few seconds later, a much more unpleasant thought came to Harry's mind. He said "Hermione, what if Voldemort or the Death Eaters find out about this?"

This thought had not occurred to Hermione either. Both of them had been so busy with planning for their child that they had forgotten about the problems going on in the world at that time.

Harry was Lord Voldemort's greatest enemy. He knew very well that the brutal mass murderer wizard would exploit every weakness presented by Harry. The baby was definitely one of them. Harry was sure that if news of this were to reach Voldemort's ears, he would have more of his Death Eaters out hunting for Hermione than for even Harry himself.

Hermione, too, was deeply troubled by this sudden thought. She and Harry spent a good few minutes thinking about how they would protect the baby both before and after birth from anything Voldemort and his followers had up their sleeves. Eventually, they remembered that the Order of the Phoenix was there to help them and protect them. They also remembered how the members of the Order never let one of their own people fall victim to Voldemort. After they had remembered this reassuring fact, they managed to calm down again.

After this, they began to discuss subjects that the average expecting couple had. They had decided to go shopping for all the materials and equipment they would need for childrearing over the summer, even though it would still be six months before the Hermione's due date. They believed in "being prepared." In Hermione's case, it was "being prepared long in advance."

Hermione planned to ask Mrs. Weasley for advice on motherhood, and about what she should do during the course of pregnancy. She felt that Mrs. Weasley would be able to tell her a lot about pregnancy. After all, she had gone through six of them, and she had twins in the fourth one.

Harry decided that while they were at it, he would ask Mr. Weasley for advice on fatherhood. Mr. Weasley himself was a very kind and honorable man, and he had helped him get off from that hearing before the school year had even started. He was definitely the kind of person that could be characterized as supportive, caring, and reasonable.

But there was one major problem that they still hadn't addressed yet: Umbridge. If Umbridge found out about this, she would probably use it to get the two of them kicked out of Hogwarts. After all, she had made getting Harry suspended her top priority for the entire year she had been teaching there.

Both of them were holding out hope that Umbridge would be sacked long before news of Hermione's condition became public knowledge at Hogwarts. But even so, they were not going to let that disgraceful bitch get in the way of their parenting responsibilities.

Voldemort himself couldn't separate the two of them, so they sure as hell wouldn't let some deranged skin-cutting egotist get in the way of their relationship. If it meant that they would have to leave Hogwarts, so be it. But nothing and no one could keep the two of them apart from each other.


	5. The OWLs Weeks Arrive

Note: From now on, I will be incorporating the canon events of the last three books into my story.

BTW, to all of you that are not really interested in fluff: This will be the last chapter with "real fluff" for a while. Things will start to get a little tense after this chapter.

Over the next week, Harry and Hermione acted casually whenever they went to class. The five people who knew about the latter's condition were actually able to keep it quiet. Madame Pomfrey always respected "doctor-patient confidentiality," Pavarti and Lavender felt that Hermione was already under enough pressure, and Ron and Ginny would never break a promise with Harry.

The last few days of the week were rather eventful. Ron helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup, and Hagrid had introduced Harry and Hermione to Grawp. Hermione went in for a private appointment with Madame Pomfrey every day. The school nurse would bestow a series of charms around her lower chest, mostly to protect and strengthen the fetus. Harry had decided to write Sirius and let him know about this event. He wrote him a letter that went:

Dear _Snuffles_,

It's me again. I don't have much time to write; O.W.L.s are coming up. I have news that you may have controversial feelings about. I'll just keep it brief and to the point. You remember that smart friend of mine with the long brown hair? Well, she and I spent a night together a few weeks ago, and now we are expecting a special **delivery**. Don't tell too many people about it, please. We don't want it to become public knowledge yet.

Best,

Harry.

Harry had an owl other than Hedwig deliver this message, seeing as how the last time she had delivered Sirius a letter, her wing had been clipped on the return flight. Other than all those events, it was an ordinary week.

After that week ended, O.W.L.s finally came. Incredibly, Hermione was able to keep her mind focused on studying and able to put everything else out of her mind. As usual, she was feeling a lot of redundant stress about the final tests, even though everyone else expected her to have the top grades.

With Harry, it was an almost entirely different story. When he was studying, his mind was constantly bringing up the idea of having a child with Hermione into his thoughts. He was starting to realize just how much more complicated his life was going to get. To solve this problem, he thought to himself _Don't think about it; think about studying _over and over again. He thought this until he finally decided to listen to his thoughts. The study weekend went by alarmingly fast. Monday of next week had come.

At long last, O.W.L.s had begun.

On Monday, there was Charms. That one went well for both Harry and Hermione. His supervisor, Professor Tofty, was most impressed by his knowledge.

Transfiguration on Tuesday and Herbology on Wednesday were equally as productive for the two of them.

On Thursday came Defense Against the Dark Arts. This was the one exam where Hermione had almost no idea what she was doing. Harry, on the other hand, was feeling rightfully confident about his work. Then the part with Professor Tofty came. Just when Harry was about to leave, Tofty made a small request:

(This is an excerpt from the _Order of the Phoenix_.)

"I heard, from my dear friend Tiberius Ogden, that you can produce a Patronus? For a bonus point?"

Harry raised his wand, looked directly at Umbridge, and imagined her being sacked.

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

The silver stag erupted from the end of his wand and cantered the length of the hall. All of the examiners looked around to watch its progress and when it dissolved into silver mist, Professor Tofty clapped his veined and knotted hands enthusiastically.

"Excellent!" he said.

(And here is an addition made to it by me.)

Professor Tofty looked around the hall and saw how everyone else was deeply impressed by Harry's Patronus. He suggested to Harry that since he had attracted attention all over the room, he may as well do the Patronus again. But Tofty strictly told him to use a different happy thought this time. One even stronger than the one before.

Harry quickly thought about something that would bring him real happiness. There was very little in his past that would be greater than the idea of Umbridge getting sacked, with the exception of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup in his third year and the House Cup in his first three years.

Then something brilliant and unique came into his mind. Harry imagined himself and Hermione, living in a humble house in London, or some other place far away from the Dursleys' residence. They would be living together, raising their baby without a worry in the world. He did know that it would be very unlikely that they would have no worries, but all the same, it was the most joyous thing he could imagine.

Once again, Harry shouted "_Expecto Patronum_!"

And sure enough, the stag burst out of his wand again and galloped down the hall. It ran amongst the rows of desks with incredible agility and speed. It even came deadly close to head-butting Draco Malfoy. Malfoy cowered in fear when the stag passed him, prompting several of the students to laugh at him. It was almost twenty seconds before the Professors had to gesture their students to become silent again.

When the stag dissolved yet again, Tofty said with a note of amused satisfaction and fascination "Very well, Potter, you may go!"

At the end of the day, Harry let Hermione know what thought he had passed his second Patronus on. She was very appreciative for that kind gesture. Harry told her that he actually did hope that the two of them would be able to shoulder this together. The last thing he wanted was to bring his child anywhere near the Dursleys' house.

The next day, Friday, Hermione was off at her Ancient Runes exam. Harry and Ron had the whole day to study. But they only spent a few hours studying. After they had finished, Ron suggested that Harry start preparing for the summer.

Harry found it rather odd how Ron of all people was suggesting that he prepare in advance. Ron had had a history of only preparing himself when he needed to be prepared. But all the same, it sounded like good advice coming from anyone.

Over the weekend, Harry discussed the matter with Hermione. She wanted to wait until after O.W.L.s were over to discuss their plans, but in the end, Harry somehow managed to convince her to take a brief hiatus from studying. They spent a good part of the weekend organizing their plans, but the better part of it was still spent studying for their second half of their exams.

On Monday was the dreaded Potions Exam. During the supervisor portion, Hermione was paranoid that something might explode in her face and do some type of harm to the fetus. But as usual, she carried out everything just as she was supposed to.

Care of Magical Creatures came the next day on Tuesday. Everything went equally well there.

On Wednesday morning, the Astronomy exam was taken by both of them. In the afternoon, Harry had Divination and Hermione had Arithmancy. Arithmancy was known to have been the hardest subject at Hogwarts, but it was still Hermione's favorite. She spent almost the entire night studying for it. She studied until Harry practically had to carry her up to the girls' dormitory. Finally she had agreed to get some sleep.

Harry, in the meantime, had finally let his daydreams catch up with him during the Divination exam. He knew that he was going to get a dismal grade on this one anyway, so he spent a got deal of it thinking about Hermione. He was beginning to realize just how much he loved her. After he handed in his exam, he spent most of the day studying for Astronomy. He was starting to become obsessed with her and his unborn child. Whoever knew that an unplanned pregnancy could bring a pair of lovers much closer together? Harry and Hermione certainly didn't.

Note: Starting in the next chapter, there's going to be a little less fluff and a little more stress.


	6. The Heartlessness of Umbridge

Note: For all of you that read Chapter 5 sometime before 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, I've made an addendum to the said chapter. BTW, I hope you didn't misunderstand the notice I left at the end of it. There will still be plenty of fluff, but to make the story seem a bit more realistic, I'll be adding in some angst along the way. For example, this chapter will have lots of angst. But the story will still be centered on Romance/Family.

(For this chapter, I'm skipping ahead to the next day. This takes place after Harry had his nightmare during the History of Magic O.W.L. and was discovered using Umbridge's fireplace to check up at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. He and Hermione are now leading Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest.)

Harry could only glance over his shoulder at the wand Umbridge had pointed directly at him and Hermione. He desperately hoped that Snape had understood the meaning of "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"

Fortunately, Umbridge did not understand the meaning of his statement, but it managed to expand her suspicions. He didn't need an intelligence as high as Hermione's to tell that things were about to get very ugly.

He thought about how Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny were probably being manhandled by the Inquisitorial Squad in a rather brutal way. He was beginning to wish that he had never gotten them involved in this crisis. But it was much too late for that.

He looked over at Hermione with a look of concern on his face. He briefly glanced down at her lower chest, and quickly turned his head away from it. He did not want Umbridge to get even more suspicious than she already was. She would most certainly ask too many questions once again. Several of them would be questions that they could not afford to answer. So the two of them slowly led Umbridge down to the Forbidden Forest; not a single word was spoken between the three of them along the way.

They walked a short distance, and soon Harry caught on to Hermione's plan. He felt a bit more confident as they marched on. But when they got to where Grawp should have been, there was no one there. The place was deserted.

Both Harry and Hermione broke into a nervous sweat as Umbridge looked around the vicinity. She was half-expecting to see Dumbledore, Sirius Black, or some other fugitive from the Ministry appear. They walked over to each other as she looked around.

When no one appeared, Umbridge glared at the two students in front of her. They had gotten closer together, and she noticed something interesting; Harry had his hand over Hermione's lower chest. It was almost as if he was using his hand to protect it.

Umbridge focused on Hermione's torso and noticed it was a little round. At first glance, one would have concluded that she had merely gained a little weight, but Umbridge did not come to that conclusion so quickly. She snapped "Move your hand away from Granger's abdomen, Potter."

Harry did not even realize he had had his hand over Hermione's torso. It must have been an involuntary reaction. He slowly and reluctantly pulled his hand away. Once it was off Hermione's blouse, Umbridge looked closer. She saw that Hermione's abdomen was curved in a most interesting way. She stepped a little closer to the two, and soon started to realize the truth.

She glared menacingly into Harry's face and demanded "Is Granger with child?"

Naturally, Harry did not answer immediately. But the sweat was coming down his face in greater amounts. Umbridge pointed her wand and his scar and almost shouted "Answer me!"

Harry turned to Hermione. She gave him a nod of the head, signaling him to tell the truth. He turned back to Umbridge and uttered a single word: "Yes."

Umbridge stood still for a moment, but she quickly brought a sinister grin up on her face. She looked over at Hermione, but kept her wand pointed at Harry. As she stepped closer to the former, she said "This is rather remarkable news. There has not been a pregnant student at Hogwarts for at least thirty years. Whoever would have thought that the student to break that record would be breaking it with the greatest rival of the Ministry of Magic since You-Know-Who?"

"I am not the Ministry's nemesis, Professor," Harry said calmly, but impatiently, "and I know that you and I have been at each other's throats all year, but I beg you to listen to me. Voldemort has returned, and we are not trying to overthrow Fudge or anyone else at the Ministry."

"He's telling the truth, Professor." Hermione backed him up. "We are not your enemy."

"Then why did you bring me out here?" inquired Umbridge. "There's nothing and no one here."

"We wanted to talk with you in private," Hermione claimed, "away from everyone else."

Umbridge was not convinced. She demanded the truth from the two students; they simply remained silent. However, their silence provided her with the answer she had already assumed. She said straightly "You were trying to lure me into a trap, were you not?"

Before they could answer, she angrily yelled "I will not accept any more lies! I demand to know the truth here and now!" She pointed her wand directly at Harry's face and told him "You had better tell me where Dumbledore is now, Potter, or so help me-"

There was a terrible pause as Umbridge contemplated what she could do to make Harry untie his tongue. In the end, she came up with something of unspeakable ruthlessness. She pointed her wand directly at Hermione's lower chest, and finished her statement "or so help me, your child will suffer the effects of the Cruciatus Curse instead."

Hermione gave a gasp of extreme fright and concern. She covered her abdomen with her hands, as if doing so would protect her unborn child. Harry could not believe what he was hearing at all. The only thing he could utter was "Even you can't be that cruel. To do such harm to an unborn child- you're almost worse than Voldemort."

Umbridge winced at the mention of the name. "Are you equating me with the persona of You-Know-Who?"

"At least Voldemort waited until I was born." said Harry. "He would have let my parents live if they had not gotten in the way."

"The Dark Lord's motives were based upon the betterment of his own interests," Umbridge attempted to justify her threat, "my motive is for the protection of the entire Ministry of Magic. Now you will give me the information I need, Potter, or I will use whatever means necessary to acquire it."

As she kept her wand pointed at Hermione's abdomen, she asked "Where is Dumbledore?"

"We don't know where Professor Dumbledore is!" Harry yelled. "I swear, we don't know!"

Umbridge was undoubtedly not satisfied with her answer. Harry begged her not to used the Unforgivable Curses on Hermione, but to no avail.

"Cru-" Umbridge's spell was immediately interrupted when an arrow sailed past her head. She screamed loudly; it had missed her head by four inches.

(Now I'll skip over the part where that bitch gets carried off by the centaurs. I'm going straight to where they are preparing to get to the Ministry of Magic by means of the thestrals.)

After a little debating, Harry had agreed to let Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny accompany him to the Ministry of Magic, but he absolutely refused Hermione's request to join the group.

"You're not going." Harry insisted. "Not in your condition."

"'Condition?'" said Neville. "Hermione, what does he mean?"

"She looks fine to me, Harry." said Luna honestly. "Is there something we don't know about?"

Harry knew that he and Hermione could no longer hide their secret from the two of them any longer. So they gave Neville and Luna a brief synopsis of the past several weeks. When they were finished, Neville and Luna merely scoffed. They seemed to believe Hermione's pregnancy rather quickly; much more quickly than either Ron or Ginny.

"Harry, you should give her a chance." said Neville. "If Madame Pomfrey has been giving her those protection spells for the fetus, then everything should be alright."

"You should listen to him, Harry." Hermione agreed with Neville. "I want to come along."

"Hermione, I already took one scare today." Harry pointed out, referencing what had happened right there just a few moments earlier with Umbridge. "I don't think I could handle another one."

"Harry, the fact that I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm incompetent or incapable." Hermione emphasized. "I promise you that I will be absolutely careful while we're there."

In the end, Hermione and the others had gotten Harry to agree with her request. He had mostly agreed with them because he knew they did not have time to argue; Sirius' life was on the line, and it would be in everyone's best interest if they got to the Ministry as quickly as possible. The six friends got onto the backs of the thestrals and off they flew to the Ministry of Magic.


	7. Bad Day Gone Good

Note: I know that the last chapter was almost pure angst, but this one will introduce a much more positive resolution. Just wait and see what.

(As you all know, there's a part where Hermione gets hurt during the fight at the Department of Mysteries. I'll resume the story there.)

Hermione dropped to the ground.

The color almost completely drained from Harry's face. He shouted "Hermione, NOOOOOOO!"

He turned toward Dolohov, feeling more rage than ever before. He felt the insatiable desire to put the bastard in as much pain as possible. Harry raised his wand and shouted "Crucio!"

Dolohov dropped to the ground and writhed in agony. Harry only wished that Hermione had not used the Silencing Charm on him. He would have loved to hear him scream right about then. After about thirty seconds, Harry lowered his wand and placed it in his robes. Then he jumped next to Dolohov, turned him over, and raised his fist in the air.

Harry delivered a number of fierce blows onto Dolohov's face, savoring each one as it was in turn delivered. Within a minute, Dolohov was unconscious, but Harry didn't stop punching him. He didn't relent until Neville had to forcefully pull him off.

Neville stuttered through his nosebleed "Cam down; 'e's out cold, Harry. 'Ere, let's chec on Hermione."

The two of them went over to Hermione. Neville took her wrist and felt around for her pulse. He had found it and let Harry know. Harry pressed his ear against Hermione's abdomen and could make out her heartbeat. He felt the need to recall how much time had passed since that night he and Hermione had slept together. He quickly did the math in his head, and found that Hermione was five weeks pregnant. He had referenced the fact that the heart of a fetus starts beating at around the third week of development.

Harry moved his ear slightly downward in relation to Hermione's abdomen and listened for another heartbeat. Finally, he heard one. It was very faint and weak, but it was still a second heartbeat.

Harry felt a lot more reassured by this fact.

(Now I'm skipping to the part where Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley rescue the group of six. I'm resuming just before the infamous scene at the veil.)

Harry fought alongside Sirius near an archway. Sirius ducked a beam of red light Bellatrix had sent his way.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he laughed at her mockingly.

A second jet of light sailed toward Sirius. Harry noticed it and shouted "Sirius, look out" while simultaneously jumping towards Sirius. He pushed him out of the way just in time. Bellatrix looked around and saw that she was outnumbered. So she turned and ran. Harry followed her, determined not to let her get away.

(Now I'll move to after the battle in the Hospital Wing. On a side note, Harry handled his meeting with Dumbledore a lot better this time than he did in the book.)

Harry looked down at Hermione as Madame Pomfrey examined her.

"Is the baby alright?" he asked with a high note of concern in his voice. Madame Pomfrey did not answer him right away.

After a few more minutes of examining Hermione, Madame Pomfrey looked up at Harry with a grin on her face. She told him "It would appear that the Protection Charm I gave Miss Granger for the fetus yesterday morning was more potent than I had intended it to be. The fetus has had no damage to it whatsoever."

Harry maneuvered himself around the bed and hugged Madame Pomfrey with all his might. He embraced her so firmly that had he hugged her any tighter, Madame Pomfrey would have had to report _herself _to the Hospital Wing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," he repeated over and over again, expressing his gratitude. Madame Pomfrey gently patted him on the back and said "It's my pleasure, Harry. Now, would you kindly let me go? I would like to breathe, if it's alright with you."

"Oh, sorry." Harry quickly withdrew his hands from around Madame Pomfrey. Hermione snickered at the rapidity of his movements.

Harry looked over at Sirius. He was sitting next to Ron's bed and grinned in his general direction.

"So, Sirius, how does it feel to be a free man now?" Harry asked brightly.

"Eh, I kind of liked being an outlaw." said Sirius. Harry could tell his godfather was joking. "It gave me a thrill of adventure that I never experienced before."

"Yeah, but adventure wouldn't prove your innocence." Neville pointed out.

"I hear that Fudge is facing an Inquiry." said Hermione. "He's scheduled to be sacked any day now. At his resignation speech, he'll be issuing you a formal apology, Sirius."

"Normally, I wouldn't want to accept anything from that idiot, even an apology." Sirius stated tensely. "But I'll accept it just so I can enjoy the expression on his face when he gives it."

Everybody laughed at Sirius' joke. When the laughter subsided, Sirius looked at Harry and told him "So, it looks like you're just as rebellious as your father, Harry, if not more so."

"What do you mean?" inquired his godson.

Sirius gestured toward Hermione with a huge smirk on his face. Harry quickly caught on.

"Have you thought up a name yet?" asked Sirius.

"We have not." Hermione answered quickly. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Well, if it's a girl, I would recommend that you use something stylish, like Esmeralda." Sirius suggested.

"What kind of name is that?" asked Ron.

"It's from a Muggle book of French origin." Sirius explained. "One of my personal favorites: _The Hunchback of Notre-Dame _by Victor Hugo."

"Esmeralda is a sixteen year-old gypsy who dances in the streets of Paris." Harry joined in the explanation. "The plot of the novel focuses mainly around her and the title character, Quasimodo."

"What happens?" asked Ron.

"It's better if you just read it, Ron." said Sirius.

"Esmeralda…" said Hermione, "I like it. We can put it at the top of the list."

"And if it's a boy?" said Harry.

"Maybe you could name him after Dumbledore." said Sirius.

"'Albus Potter.'" said Hermione. "That sounds appealing."

Harry agreed with Sirius' suggestion. But they decided not to stick with those names right away. However, they would go right at the top of the list.

Soon afterwards, Harry brought up another matter.

"Did you hear about Umbridge?" said Harry.

"No, what about her?" asked Ginny.

"She's dead." Harry answered happily. "The centaurs brought her body back this morning. Apparently they kicked her to death."

"Is the Ministry pressing charges?" asked Luna.

"No, they're too busy in their own affairs." said Harry.

"I'll be sure to throw a party just before term ends." Ron commented.

"Ronald!" said Hermione.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," said Ron, "Surely you're glad that that hag is permanently out of lives now."

Hermione remembered the previous night when Umbridge had threatened to harm her unborn child. She suddenly felt a notion which was rather uncharacteristic to her. She looked over at Ron and said "Well, I suppose I could help you send out the invitations."

Everybody laughed again, even Madame Pomfrey. She freely admitted that she was most displeased with Umbridge's presence at Hogwarts. Most of the injuries reported that year had involved Umbridge either directly or indirectly.

(Now here's the first time the six of them enter the Great Hall after the incident at the Ministry)

When the six friends entered the Great Hall, they were met with thunderous applause. Luna went over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down with a group of peers.

The rest of the group sat down at the Gryffindor table with several of their friends. Seamus and Dean sat close by Harry and Hermione. Seamus asked "Are congratulations in order?"

Both of them were confused. "What do you mean, Seamus?"

Seamus made a gesture towards Hermione's abdomen. She and Harry were too stunned to speak. Finally, Harry asked "How did you know?"

"Peeves." answered Dean. "He must have eavesdropped on a private conversation you were having. Everyone knows now."

"If he was a living person, I would kill him." said Harry angrily.

"Relax, Harry." said Seamus. "No one in Gryffindor is going to judge you or Hermione. I'm sure the same thing will go for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. And who cares what Slytherin thinks?"

Harry decided that Seamus was right. Besides, with so many things going his way now, he felt that nothing could spoil his good mood for the first time that year.


	8. The Next Year Nears

Note: I should probably warn you; the events of this chapter are going to happen a little quickly. In a sense, it will jump around various lengths of time. But as long as you are able to keep up, everything will make sense. Please let me know if I am not being coherent in my writing.

Harry went home a few days later with all the rest of the student body. On the Hogwarts Express, a lot of people congratulated him on three different things: exposing Voldemort, proving the Ministry of Magic wrong, and his impending fatherhood. As Seamus and Dean had predicted, not one of the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, or Ravenclaws judged either him or Hermione.

Of course, several of the Slytherins insulted him at every chance they had, but he didn't care what they thought; Umbridge was dead, Sirius had been exonerated, and Fudge had been disgraced. Best of all, the ruling members of the Ministry had finally admitted that Harry was telling the truth about Voldemort's return and they had been too arrogant to believe him. He would not let anything ruin his good mood that day.

However, there was one thing that was on his mind: the Dursleys' reactions to Hermione's condition. At the request of Dumbledore, he had sent a school owl to notify them in advance of the matter (Naturally, Hedwig hated going to Privet Drive on her own, so he decided to send a different owl).

Harry felt a lot more reassured when several members of the Order of the Phoenix had accompanied him into the station. Hermione went off to find her parents and Ron went to talk with Fred and George, who had just arrived at the station. Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Sirius, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley accompanied him as he approached the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were noticeably angry.

Moody and the rest of the group made their threats to Vernon and the other two about their treatment of Harry. A glimpse of Moody's artificial magical eye quickly subdued any uncooperative thoughts the Dursleys may have had in their minds.

Just as Harry and his relatives were leaving the station, Sirius met up with them. He took a moment to let Harry know that he would be temporarily living near Privet Drive to look out for him. Harry, being grateful for the care presented by his godfather, hugged Sirius good-bye and drove off towards Privet Drive.

(That was the end of the fifth book. I'll skip ahead to the third chapter of the sixth book.)

Harry was having perhaps the most enjoyable July of his life. Vernon and Petunia were treating more like a human being and less like a jar of dirt. Apparently the Order's threats had been more than sufficient in bettering the Dursleys' treatment of Harry. Dudley would not admit that the Order had intimidated him, but he and his gang did not harass Harry at all over the course of the summer.

Harry and Hermione kept in constant contact with each other during vacation. She was right about her parents' reaction; they threw her out of the house when they learned that she was pregnant. But the Weasleys were more than happy to take her in at The Burrow for the summer.

Vernon and Petunia were infuriated by Hermione's pregnancy, but Dudley was actually envious of Harry. Harry knew the reason; Dudley had never had a girlfriend in his life, much less ever had sex. Harry had suggested a way for him to get laid: "Dress nicely, be a little nicer to people, smile, shower at least once a week, and lose about thirty pounds." Under normal circumstances, Dudley would have pounded Harry for saying such things. But when he spotted a large black dog roaming around Privet Drive, Dudley just pretended to ignore Harry and went to join his gang.

One week, Harry had gone up to a ring shop and bought two rings. One of them was for himself, and the other he was planning to give to Hermione as a gift.

(Now I'm skipping to where Harry checks in at The Burrow.)

Mrs. Weasley led Harry upstairs to Fred and George's bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed that had been prepared for him and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, he was woken up bright and early by his best friend and his lover. When he saw Hermione, he embraced her firmly and placed his hand on her abdomen. She was now almost ten weeks pregnant with his baby. She placed his hand over his, smiled sweetly at him, and said "We've missed you. Both of us."

"Me too!" Ron added in with such alacrity that it made Harry and Hermione laugh.

"How have you been managing here?" Harry asked Hermione as he sat up in bed.

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley's been giving me a lot of good advice." Hermione enlightened him. "There are a lot of advantages to being a witch than to being a Muggle when it comes to pregnancy."

"Like what?" inquired Harry.

"Well, there's a type of draught that I should drink once a week called the Enhanced Stomaching Draught." she explained. "It improves my ability to digest whatever I eat. Hence, I have less morning sickness than the average pregnant Muggle woman-"

Hermione suddenly covered her mouth with her hand. She put a finger in the air, which meant "If you'll excuse me for a moment" and left the room. Harry and Ron could hear her vomiting in the bathroom.

"But not none at all." Ron finished for Hermione.

After they had eaten breakfast and the results of the O.W.L.s had arrived, they planned to go to Diagon Alley and get their school supplies for their next year at Hogwarts.

(Now I'll skip to where they are shopping in Diagon Alley)

Sirius accompanied Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys to Diagon Alley. The last time he had been there was the time he had purchased Harry's Firebolt for him. There were still a great many people who felt a little nervous around him, but that didn't matter; the majority no longer looked at him with contempt.

Sirius especially enjoyed confronting Malfoy and his mother in Madame Malkin's. People were being kinder to him than to them.

When Malfoy and his wife were insulting Hermione (both for being Muggle-born and being pregnant), Harry stood up for her, but Sirius handed out most of the insults.

"I think I know why you feel the need to pick on Hermione and others." he had begun. "It distracts you from your real problems, like your idiot husband being thrown in prison and disgracing the family name- even though the name itself wasn't all that prestigious to begin with."

"You should probably watch your back wherever you go." Narcissa had threatened him. "If not, then one day something so terrible may happen, that you'll wish you had never left Azkaban."

"I can assure you, Lucius is probably having the time of his life there right now." Sirius snickered. "I bet Azkaban is much better than your house."

"At least I did not betray my family by ending up in a house at Hogwarts full of imbeciles and weaklings." commented Malfoy, referring to how Sirius had wound up in Gryffindor while the rest of the Black family had wound up in Slytherin.

"I'd rather be an imbecile or a weakling than a dark moron whose only talent is persistently launching tedious insults at others." Sirius jeered.

"Oh, I have plenty more talents than that." said Malfoy angrily. "In fact, how about you and I find an empty room with no furniture? I could demonstrate for you there."

"No, I don't want you to embarrass yourself." Sirius mockingly replied. "I imagine you're already suffering from enough humiliation with dear Lucius in prison."

"Mark my words well, Black." Narcissa said darkly. "Lucius will escape one day just as you did, and there is nothing you can do to prevent that."

"Well, unlike me, he will never be proven innocent." Sirius came back, winning the verbal fray.

Harry grinned in satisfaction when he saw that Sirius' last comment had seriously offended Malfoy and his mother.

After Malfoy had left with his mother, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were up next to have their measurements inspected. Harry had grown significantly taller over the summer; so much so, that he was almost the same height as Ron. Hermione needed to be refitted around the waist. Her baby bump had started to show visibly.

After this, they headed off to Fred and George's joke shop. The place was doing remarkably well.

Fred and George had just about every possible joke item on sale, plus a diverse selection of their own creations. Sirius laughed more there than he ever had for the past fifteen years.

Fred and George gave Hermione a container filled with little tablets. They explained that the tablets were originally something you would slip into another person's drink. Once the person had consumed his or her beverage, they would experience very bizarre changes in behavior for several hours afterwards. Fred and George had modified them to help Hermione control her mood swings. They told her "free of charge" and she gratefully accepted them.

After they had completed their shopping in Diagon Alley, everybody returned to The Burrow. For the last week of summer, Harry and Hermione went shopping for supplies for the baby. Mrs. Weasley joined them in this errand, and gave them advice on what they should or should not purchase.

"It's always better to use cloth diapers than those disposable diapers Muggles have come up with." she told them. "For one thing, the former is better for the planet. Some Muggles don't use them because they are hard to clean. But with magic on your side, cleanliness is neat and simple."

Harry and Hermione were taking notes in their heads. As neither of them had grown up in a household run by magic, they had always believed childrearing to be one of the most difficult tasks presented by life. But magic seemed to make everything so much easier.

They didn't need to buy much. Mrs. Weasley still had plenty of baby equipment leftover from when Ginny was an infant for them to use. Granted it had been at least fourteen years since that time, most of the equipment was still in pristine condition. The only things that they had to buy at stores were baby clothes, diapers, bottles, a few pacifiers and a crib.

Harry and Hermione still had one issue that needed to be resolved: Where would they keep the baby after he or she was born? Hermione's parents wouldn't accept, and the Dursleys' were out of the question, as Harry had said "It wouldn't be kind for us to torture our child in such a harsh manner."

They had considered letting Sirius look after the baby, but then, of course, there was Kreacher and the portrait of Sirius' obnoxious mother. Sirius' mother would probably keep the baby up all night with her endless shouts and insults.

Mrs. Weasley had offered to take care of the baby. Harry and Hermione found that to be a reasonable suggestion, but decided to take some more time to think about their options.

The day before the gang rendezvoused at the Hogwarts Express, Harry took a moment to speak to Hermione in private. He pulled the two rings he had bought out of his pocket and placed one of them in her trembling hands.

"What is this, Harry?" she asked in confusion.

"Think of it as a promise ring." he elucidated. "With them, I want to make a promise that someday you and I will be married."

There was silence between the two of them at first, and then Hermione slammed her lips against Harry's. They both closed their eyes and spent some quality time together one last time before their next year at Hogwarts.


	9. A Time To Rise

Author's Side Note: Sorry about the wait. I've been buried in school work all week, and I had to study for a Calculus AP test. But I took the test this afternoon, so now I'm back!

(I am resuming the story at the moment of time when Harry was sitting with Neville and Luna on the Hogwarts Express.)

After Harry had discussed the matter of the D.A. with Neville and Luna, a fourth-year girl named Romilda Vane knocked on the door of the compartment. She and a few of her friends invited Harry to join them in their carriage. Naturally, Hermione was the only girl Harry had eyes for. He politely turned down their offer. All of the girls but Romilda understood and headed for their carriage. Romilda was a little more persistent than them.

Harry tried to break it to her nicely that he was not interested, but he had little success. Finally, Luna intervened and asked Romilda "Don't you know he has a baby on the way?" without looking up from her _Quibbler_.

Romilda grudgingly accepted the logic in Luna's statement and went to join her friends in their carriage. Neville and Luna felt a little resented by how other people still viewed them as abnormal in some regards, but Harry assured them that he thought they were cool and two of the best friends anyone could have.

There was silence for a short while in their compartment. Harry decided to take a moment to reflect on the prophecy that Dumbledore had told him about. He wondered what would have happened had Voldemort gone after Neville instead of him. It gave Harry an idea to try to imagine Neville with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. That seemed a little hard to visualize. Then he tried to imagine himself **without **the scar. That was even harder.

After Harry mused about the possibility that Neville could have been the Chosen One, he began to muse on more modern news. He felt sure that this school year would be much better than the last one. With Umbridge out of the picture and Dumbledore reinstated, Hogwarts would most likely return to its former glory.

A sudden thought abruptly passed through Harry's mind. The thought was directly related to what would happen between him and Hermione in six months or less. It was a rather impulsive thought, but it provided an interesting suggestion.

He decided that he would discuss the subject with Hermione sometime later.

Harry gave Ron and Hermione a smile when they returned from prefect duty. Hermione told Harry that she felt a little awkward, being a prefect and being pregnant at the same time. Fortunately, Ron was there to give her some moral support and convince her not to discourage herself.

Just a few moments later, Harry and Neville received some invitations from Professor Horace Slughorn were delivered to them by a third-year girl. She was clearly very nervous, yet honored, to be delivering something to Harry.

Harry was a bit reluctant to accept the invitation. It had nothing to do with Slughorn personally; he had just hoped to spend a little bit of time with Hermione before they arrived at Hogwarts. However, he wanted to be courteous, so he and Neville left their carriage and headed towards Professor Slughorn's.

Once their dinner with Slughorn was over, Neville returned to the carriage. But Harry decided to spy on Malfoy and determine why he was acting so oddly.

Harry got under his Invisibility Cloak and followed Blaise Zabini to the carriage he was sharing with Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. He lay up on the carriage rack and listened to every word they were saying.

"Did Slughorn refer to Potter for anything about Weasley, Granger, or Lovegood?" inquired Goyle.

"No, he just focused on the personal lives of the people he invited." answered Zabini. "It seems that he doesn't even know anything about Granger's pregnancy." said Zabini.

"Perhaps he won't be so gracious towards her or Potter once he finds out about it." Crabbe theorized, still focusing on his comic book.

"Don't count on it." said Malfoy, still resting his head on Pansy's lap. "Potter also seems to be the one to gain favor from the teachers, regardless of what he does."

"But that won't matter." said Pansy as she stroked Malfoy's hair. "Everyone knows just how much of a harlot Granger really is."

Harry felt an overwhelming desire to jump off the luggage rack and punch Pansy squarely in the face. But he controlled his anger and just continued to listen to the conversation going on between the Slytherin students.

A short time later, the Hogwarts Express arrived at its destination. Malfoy's four friends had gotten their luggage and gone to change into their school attire. Once they had left, Malfoy pointed his wand at the luggage rack and yelled "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Harry fell off the rack, paralyzed on the ground. Grinning with satisfaction, Malfoy kicked him in the face once, threw the Invisibility Cloak back on him, and left without another word.

_This is just fantastic_ Harry sarcastically thought to himself. _So much for a great start of a new year._

The Hogwarts Express was about to start back up again. Luckily, Harry was discovered by Tonks. After she stopped his nosebleed, they got off the train and headed for the school. At the main entrance they encountered Snape, as "friendly" as ever.

After Snape took away seventy points from Gryffindor (fifty for tardiness; twenty for Harry being dressed in Muggle attire), he led Harry to the Great Hall. As they walked, Snape commented "It appears as though even inseminating Miss Granger still did not satisfy your desire to go against school rules. Quite frankly, I am not surprised that you decided to make your first appearance at school this year like this."

Harry ignored what Snape said. He made his way to where Hermione and Ron were sitting, ignoring the many stares he was receiving from the surrounding crowd.

Hermione continuously emphasized how worried she had been about him, and helped him clean the dry blood off of his face.

As he ate, they informed him about the Sorting Hat's song. This year it had given the teachers and the student body sage advice to watch their backs and to not take any unnecessary risks.

A short while after Dumbledore made his announcements and updated the students, everybody went to the common room of his or her House. At around eleven o'clock that night, Harry and Hermione sat alone in the front room on the same couch. She had her eyes closed and she was leaning against his chest. His arms circled around her torso; his left hand was placed on her baby bump. Harry took a little time to think about the Sorting Hat's advice to watch his back and to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

Harry had always watched his own back, along with Ron's back and Hermione's back, for the past five years. He could easily watch his own again this year. But he had also taken several unnecessary risks. However, each of them later proved to be noteworthy to the safety of Hogwarts and everyone who worked or studied there. Harry would undoubtedly be taking more unnecessary risks that year, but this year, he wasn't going to do anything that would compromise Hermione's health. Nor was he going to have her take any unnecessary risks. He didn't care how much she argued with him on the matter; he wasn't going to let the woman who was carrying his child endanger herself or the baby.

He thought about that for a moment. The _woman _who was carrying his child. Just a few weeks earlier, he had only designated Hermione as the _girl _who was carrying his child. Now she was a woman. Right then, Harry fully grasped this concept: from the moment their child was conceived, Hermione had become a woman. In just the same way, Harry had become a man. Even though neither of them had come of age yet, they were no longer children.


	10. Small Changes

The next day, Harry enlightened Ron and Hermione on what he had overheard in Malfoy's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. He was determined to prove that Malfoy was a Death Eater and he was working directly for Voldemort, but Ron and Hermione kept trying to convince him that his assumptions were in error.

Nevertheless, Harry did not give up on his supposition. He was keen on proving that Malfoy had taken his father's place in Voldemort's deadliest group of followers. Even if no one else believed this, he most certainly did.

Shortly after he recounted what had happened on the train to them, they departed from the Gryffindor common room. Once outside, Hermione almost immediately pulled a fourth-year boy who held a Fanged Frisbee in his hand to the side. She reminded him that Fanged Frisbees were among the items banned from the school, and then she, being a school prefect, confiscated it from him.

The irritated boy handed over the disk and muttered something under his breath. Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't hear what it was, but the boy's statement had the word "hypocrite" in it and as he made the statement, his eyes briefly glimpsed at Hermione's slightly protruding belly.

Harry made a move to go after the boy, but Ron held his arm out and said "Let him go. He's not worth it."

"He shouldn't talk that way to a prefect!" Harry argued, feeling the urge to defend his girlfriend.

"He has a right to state his opinion, Harry." Hermione convinced her boyfriend. Harry decided he didn't want to argue with Hermione, so he ignored the comment the fourth-year boy made about Hermione.

After breakfast in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall passed out the new schedules for the sixth-year students. Hermione was quickly cleared to continue Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Potions.

Soon it was Harry's turn to receive a new schedule from Professor McGonagall. He was cleared for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, and Transfiguration. McGonagall was curious as to why he was not continuing Potions, referring to his ambition to become an Auror.

He told her that he recalled that he needed to get an "Outstanding" in his Potions O.W.L. However, McGonagall told him that with Professor Slughorn now teaching Potions, "Exceeds Expectations" was more than sufficient. The same went for Ron. Neither of them had the required books or ingredients, but McGonagall assured him that Professor Slughorn would be able to provide the two of them with those materials.

Harry was relieved to hear this. Not only would he be able to continue to strive for his aspiration to become an Auror, but he would also be having five classes with Hermione instead of just four. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible over the next six months.

Hermione's first class was Ancient Runes. Harry and Ron had first period off. They spent it in the Gryffindor common room. Ron played with the Fanged Frisbee Hermione had confiscated from the fourth-year boy. Harry just sat on the couch, studying his schedule.

At the end of first period, Hermione arrived in the Gryffindor common room with a large amount of books in her arms. She told them about the large amount of homework they had gotten in Ancient Runes that day, and how it was making her very anxious.

Harry had spent some time over the summer looking through books on ways a person could help a pregnant woman feel better. He had read that excessive stress could cause a miscarriage, and knowing Hermione, it was a wonder she did not miscarry during O.W.L.s week.

He had also read about how lifting heavy objects could also be compromising to the fetus' health. Sure, lifting them once in a while was perfectly safe, but Harry knew full well that Hermione would be having a lot of work in Runes, mostly in the form of an armload of heavy books. He voiced his concern: "Are you sure you should be lifting all those books, Hermione?"

"I feel perfectly fine, Harry." she sharply remarked.

Harry didn't let her off right there. However, they made a plan to have somebody assist Hermione with her books until the baby arrived. Harry was more than willing to help Hermione carry her books to the five classes they shared together. They would find somebody in Hermione's Arithmancy and Ancient Runes classes to assist her with lugging her books around when she went to those respective classes. But for the time being, Harry let Hermione carry her own books; as he knew that it was something of a matter of dignity to her.

The rest of the school day was very productive. Harry was given a detention by Professor Snape for an impudent comment he had made towards Snape. Just after that class, Jack Sloper had given him a message from Professor Dumbledore. He wanted to meet with Harry the following Saturday, which ran over Snape's detention.

After the rest of the morning classes and lunch were over, it was time for Potions. Harry, Ron, and Hermione wondered what it would be like to have a different teacher for Potions. They figured that Slughorn couldn't grade them any more harshly than Snape, but they didn't give their hopes up yet.

Harry and Ron arrived in class and explained their situation to Professor Slughorn. Slughorn lent them two copies of _Advanced Potion-Making _by Libatius Borage and provided them with anything else they needed. Harry and Ron sat down with Hermione and Ernie Macmillan, the only Hufflepuff who had salvaged a passing grade in the Potions O.W.L.

Hermione was able to answer every question Slughorn passed out. He was most impressed by her knowledge, and he seemed to be indifferent to the fact that she was pregnant.

Slughorn announced that he would give a small vial of Felix Felicis to whoever came the closest to making the Draught of Living Death. The class quickly went to work. Harry was greatly annoyed by all the writing in the margins of his book. After a while, he decided to read what had been hand-written. By sheer gall, he went by those instructions instead of the book's instructions. In the end, he had come much closer to making the Draught than anyone else in the class and was subsequently awarded the flask of Felix Felicis.

Harry stayed around after everyone else had left. Slughorn noticed this and cheerfully asked him "Is there something I can help you with, Harry?"

"Sir, I was wondering…" Harry asked the giddy Professor, "what would happen if a pregnant woman were to take some of this potion while in labor?"

Slughorn was at first confused by Harry's question, but quickly realized why Harry had come to ask it. "I assume that you are referring to Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir." Harry confirmed. "You see, I'm the father."

Slughorn raised an eyebrow in interest, but didn't change his mood. He told Harry "Allow me to extend my congratulations."

Harry was a little bewildered by Slughorn's reaction; Slughorn simply told him that he was never one to judge people in such matters. He answered Harry's question: "I'm afraid that the potion is too potent for a pregnant woman to handle, even when she's on the verge of giving birth. Instead of bettering her day, it would do significant harm to her and her child."

"What if I took it just before the delivery?" asked Harry.

"Most likely, you would quickly become the proud father of a very healthy baby boy or girl." Slughorn happily responded. "All the same, I would recommend that you go through it the old-fashioned way with no Felix Felicis coursing through your veins. However, should Miss Granger experience difficulties while giving birth, it wouldn't hurt to have some Felix Felicis on hand for yourself."

"Thank you, sir." Harry grinned. He gathered up his books and went to catch up with Ron and Hermione.


	11. Joys of Life

All in all, the first week of the sixth year at Hogwarts was an efficient one. Potions was quickly becoming Harry's best subject, and Harry in turn became a symbol of pride for Slughorn. For a while, Potions class was even able to relieve him of some the stress he was going through with Hermione and the baby.

Fortunately for Hermione, Professor Slughorn was not one to judge her for her pregnancy.

Unfortunately, he was one of the few teachers that weren't somewhat disappointed with Hermione. Most of the others- most notably McGonagall and Snape- were a bit irritated, but she still managed to hold onto her reputation as the top academic student of her year.

Something Harry was really looking forward to was functioning as Quidditch Captain. He had not played a real game of Quidditch in over a year, as he had been banned for assaulting Malfoy on the Quidditch field. The thought of his suspension from participating in Quidditch made him all the more glad that Umbridge was dead. Upon her "departure" from Hogwarts, he had been reinstated into the Quidditch team.

The rest of the week was mostly uneventful, but Harry treasured every moment he spent with Hermione, as she treasured each moment with him.

Finally, Harry arrived at his meeting with Dumbledore just on time Saturday night. He, Ron, and Hermione had been theorizing the nature of the meeting all week, but until then the subject was still a mystery.

After greeting each other, Dumbledore went into briefing Harry about the nature of their meetings and their future meetings. As Harry had suspected, it had to do with stopping Voldemort once and for all. When the debriefing was over, they moved toward the Pensieve. There they viewed Bob Ogden's memory.

When the memory had completed its round, Harry had many questions, which Dumbledore was able to answer.

A look of sheer aversion came over Harry's face when Dumbledore told him that Tom Riddle senior had left Merope Gaunt when she was pregnant. This expression was easily noticed by Dumbledore. He remarked "A Sickle for your thoughts, Harry."

"I'm sorry, sir," said Harry, not realizing just how mad he was, "but the thought of a man abandoning a woman who is carrying his child… it disgusts me."

"I understand how you would feel that." said Dumbledore. "However, whatever the reason, some of the fault was with Merope."

"I see the logic in your statement, Professor," said Harry, "but still… I cannot help but think of Tom Riddle senior as a coward. He just ran off, leaving Merope alone and with child."

Dumbledore smiled kindly at Harry and said "I can imagine that you and Miss Granger will not be parting ways any time soon."

"Believe me, sir; I have no intention of leaving Hermione." Harry guaranteed the Headmaster, "If the situation with Voldemort gets much worse, I may have her temporarily go into hiding. But if not, then I will stand by her."

Dumbledore, always the first to identify someone's mood by the expression on his or her countenance, noticed that Harry now had a slight look of uncertainty. He asked him "Is anything troubling you?"

"Well, sir," Harry began nervously, "I'd like your opinion on something."

"Of course." said Dumbledore.

"Do you think I can be a good student and a good father at the same time?"inquired Harry.

The smile remained on Dumbledore's face. He answered with all honesty and integrity "Absolutely. I believe that you and Miss Granger will achieve some of the top grades in your year, and you will both make wonderful parents."

"Thank you, sir." Harry responded appreciatively. "I just hope to be a good parent to my daughter or my son."

"Between you and me, Harry," said Dumbledore, "I believe that had Voldemort's father not left him, you wouldn't have that scar on your forehead right now. If Voldemort had grown up in a house with two parents instead of an orphanage with a lot of strangers, he would not have become the world's most feared Dark Lord."

Harry saw the reason in Dumbledore's statement. But on the other hand, Harry himself would have preferred an orphanage to the Dursleys' house on Privet Drive.

Before Harry left Dumbledore's office, he wanted to ask the Headmaster a personal question. He asked him "Have you ever regretted not having children, sir?"

"Oh, yes, many times I have, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "But nevertheless I am proud of the work I have managed to accomplish in all my decades of working at this school, as well as the work I accomplished before that."

Harry nodded, bid Dumbledore good night, and left without another word.

As the next week went by, many of the sixth years were already starting to lose their heads. Hermione had predicted that even with certain class periods off, no one would really be able to relax. As usual, she was right.

Harry's order of _Advanced Potion Making _had come in sooner. But he was unwilling to part with it, so he merely switched the book covers on the new copy and the Half-Blood Prince's book. No one except Ron and Hermione could tell the difference.

Shortly after this, Hermione told Ron and Harry that she wanted to go down to see Hagrid sometime soon. All three of them had given up Care of Magical Creatures, and with their busy schedules, they barely had any time to visit him.

(Book excerpt)

"I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.

"We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. "But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not _Quidditch_ that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.

(Now back to my story)

Hermione went on to pointing out all of the noticeably impressive parts of Harry's background and his frame. Near the end of it, she stroked the side of his head and added in "You also have to admit; it's a little hard to overlook your physique."

"I know I may be attractive, Hermione," Harry humorously admitted, "but the only girl I'm interested in is you. And it's not just because of… well, you know."

Naturally, Hermione **did **know. He didn't even have to gesture at her lower chest; she got the message all on her own.

The Quidditch trials were rather… interesting, yes, interesting. That was the only word Harry could think of to describe them. Most of the applicants barely even knew how to properly fly a broomstick. But amongst all the unfit applicants, Harry brought together a very capable team of Ron and five other players.

A few weeks later, near the beginning of October, the sixth-years were in Potions class. They were working on another potion from the book. Unsurprisingly, Harry was making the most significant progress out of the whole class. Anyway, about halfway through the class, Hermione fidgeted a little in her seat, clutching her front.

Harry leaned over and whispered "Is everything okay?"

Hermione slowly turned her head toward Harry and whispered in his ear "Harry, I think I just felt the baby kick."

A look that expressed a mixture of delight and surprise came over Harry's face. "Really?"

Hermione took his hand in hers and placed it over her lower chest. "Right there." she whispered. There was nothing at first, but then Harry could faintly feel a small nudge against his hand coming from inside Hermione's abdomen. That was indeed the feel of his child kicking.

Harry couldn't restrain himself any longer; he kissed Hermione full on the lips right there in the middle of class. Fortunately, the only two who noticed were Ron and Ernie.

Normally, Hermione would have pushed Harry away and said "Not in class, Harry" but she couldn't help herself this time; she just closed her eyes and affectionately kissed him in return.

Please provide an answer the following question (It will be a long time before this matter is discussed, but I think I should start working on it as soon as possible): Do you think I should make the baby a boy or a girl?


	12. Pressure

By this point in time, Hermione was about eighteen weeks into her pregnancy, which meant she was at least halfway there. Her baby bump was starting to become more and more visible with each passing day. By the second week in October, she needed someone to help her carry most of her books to all her classes for her. She felt somewhat annoyed by this minor nuisance, but quickly adapted to it.

Every day, at least one person had come up with a suggestion of a name for the baby. Harry and Hermione had officially started a list. For this they used a very long piece of parchment. One side was reserved for male names and the other side was reserved for female names. By the middle of October, both lists covered a foot's worth of the parchment.

Neither Hermione nor Harry was under as much pressure as they thought they would have been. Sure, a few people who altogether thought that premarital sex was not a wise idea, but no one from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw judged Harry or Hermione.

Naturally, the two of them had expected endless taunting and harassment from the members of Slytherin House. But for some reason, the Slytherins were pacing themselves this year. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle seemed to have lain off the insults. This quickly aroused Harry's suspicion and further led him to believe that Malfoy and the others were up to something. But Ron and Hermione kept trying to convince him that he was misleading himself.

The only one person who still really irked Harry and Hermione was Pansy Parkinson. She would often call Hermione vile names, such as a "filthy slut."

Harry had a policy that he didn't hit women, and he had never hit one in his life (with the reasonable exception, of course, of Bellatrix Lestrange). But on one occasion he came dangerously close to breaking that policy. This event in particular happened in a corridor near the Great Hall. Pansy had called Hermione a "disgusting Mudblood whore." It took Ron, Seamus, and Neville to restrain him from striking Pansy right across her face.

This deeply amused Pansy and she just laughed and sardonically remarked "I see that the 'Chosen One' is not as disciplined as we are all led to believe. In a way, I actually feel sorry for Granger; having to carry your child must shame her."

Hermione was with Harry and the others at that time. She just walked over to Harry and put her hand on his shoulder. She then looked over at Pansy and, grinning wickedly, responded "At least I manage to find a person who loves me. Do you honestly think that sorry excuse of a boyfriend you have could ever really love you? Or even like you? I bet he doesn't even think you are worthy of carrying his child. That is, if he ever has one; and I doubt he will ever have one."

Pansy was confused. She asked Hermione "Why do you think that?"

Hermione kept grinning and answered promptly "No woman would ever want to degrade herself so much that she would carry Malfoy's child for him."

Pansy scowled terribly at Hermione, but Harry stopped struggling and laughed at the expression on the Slytherin girl's face. Ron, Seamus, and Neville let him go and joined in the laughter. Hermione rarely told jokes, but when she did, she could **really** get people to laugh.

Pansy just turned around and left the five Gryffindors, who remained laughing for a little more time.

The first trip to Hogsmeade was scheduled during the middle of that month, and Harry and Hermione were eager to go. Sirius had sent them a letter in late September, letting Harry and Hermione know in advance that he would be meeting them there.

Finally, the date arrived. After being thoroughly searched by Mr. Filch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and several other students headed down to the village. They met up with Sirius at the outside of the Hog's Head.

They made their way for the Three Broomsticks. On their way, they passed by the Hog's Head. Mundungus Fletcher emerged from the pub as they passed. Harry noticed a bag of valuables that Mundungus had in his possession.

Harry asked him about the bag and he learned that Mundungus had dropped in at Sirius' place recently. Unbeknownst to Sirius, the last time Mundungus had visited, he had "borrowed" a few things without Sirius' permission. Harry recognized one of the items immediately; it was a silver cup with the Black family crest on it. Sirius did not really care that Mundungus had taken those items without his consent, as his family heirlooms did little more than remind him of the family he had long ago disowned.

Harry, on the other hand, was furious and confronted Mundungus for stealing some of Sirius' belongings. He pulled his wand out and was about to threaten Mundungus when the tobacco-chewing wizard Disapparated. Harry shouted a curse at him and was about to make a scene, but Sirius and Hermione stopped him before he made a fool of himself in public.

They ran into Tonks outside the Three Broomsticks. Inside the pub, Harry ordered five butterbeers and gave one to each of his acquaintances. Butterbeer was one of the few drinks that Hermione was still able to drink during the course of her pregnancy. Despite the fact it had the word "beer" in its name, it was about as alcoholic as root beer.

While they were in the Three Broomsticks, Sirius made Harry and Hermione a proposition: he offered to take care of their baby during the school year at his house. During the summer, once Harry was free from the Dursleys' care and guardianship of him was officially given to Sirius, he and Hermione could move in with him. Sirius told them that he had cleaned the place up and straightened Kreacher out. The only problem that remained was the matter of the portrait of Sirius' mother. She continued shouting curses at anyone who disturbed her, but Sirius had managed to control her to a point.

Harry and Hermione considered Sirius' offer, and saw that it had a certain appeal to it. But all the same, they simply considered it as an option.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way back up to the castle when they heard a bloodcurdling scream ahead of them. Ron got there first, as Harry had stayed with Hermione to help her move a little faster. When they arrived at the source of the scream, they found Katie Bell levitating in the air. She was continuing to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Stay here!" Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Katie's friend, Leanne. "I'll get Hagrid!"

Harry ran off to Hagrid's hut. A few moments later, he arrived back at the scene with the half-giant. Hagrid managed to get Katie down and he carefully gathered up the object she had touched.

After explaining the traumatizing event to Professor McGonagall, Harry brought forth his belief that Malfoy was the person responsible for giving the object to Katie. However, Professor McGonagall herself quickly disproved that notion when she revealed that she had Malfoy in detention that day for neglecting to complete his Transfiguration homework.

The thing that concerned Harry the most was that the attack on Katie had happened when he and Hermione were in very close proximity to her. This was the first notable attack on Hogwarts grounds for that term, and Harry had an eerie feeling that it was not going to be the last. As long as the person responsible for the attack was still at large, no one on the grounds was officially safe. But Harry was not going to let anything happen to Hermione or their child. Voldemort himself could not pry him from them.

Note: I am still in progress of deciding what to make the baby's gender, but I will soon make my decision on that matter. In the meantime, I have another question I would like your opinions on: Do you think I should have Harry and Hermione find out the gender ahead of time (Say, via a sonogram or some sort of spell)? Or should they do it the old-fashioned way and wait until delivery to find out?

Addendum: Actually, now that I think about it, the real question is: Do YOU (the readers) want to know ahead of time or not? Let me know if you do or don't!


	13. Time Is Slipping

Katie Bell was transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital the following day. News of her attack spread quickly throughout Hogwarts. And with the first Quidditch game of that year coming up, Harry was in need of another Chaser. He had found his friend Dean Thomas to be the fourth most-promising out of all the people who tried out for Chaser, so he had Dean fill in Katie's spot. Ginny had been going out with Dean since the end of the previous term, and his position on the team excited both of them greatly.

Ron, on the other hand, was somewhat skeptical of this idea. Even though Dean was a good friend of his, he was partially uncomfortable with Ginny going out with any person in particular. Harry and Hermione found this to be both an admirable and an annoying quality about Ron. They did respect that he was trying to be a defensive older brother, but this quality had extended to Ron being downright overprotective of Ginny.

Neither Harry nor Hermione had any siblings, so they never knew what it was like to be in either Ron's position or Ginny's. Nevertheless, they wanted to find a way so that both of their friends would be content.

Harry's next meeting with Dumbledore had come and gone. He had learned more about Tom Riddle Junior's troubled childhood and about how he had come to Hogwarts. It would seem that he and Harry had had remarkably different lifestyles before they reached the age of eleven. Harry had always been the one being bullied, usually by Dudley and his gang; Riddle had been the bully to the rest of the children at the orphanage. It was an interesting contrast.

The next day, Harry told his two friends about the latest update from Dumbledore on "The Mysterious Life of Tom Marvolo Riddle." When he was finished, Hermione described Professor Slughorn's latest party. Her intelligence had caught the Potions teacher's attention, and he had recently made her a member of The Slug Club.

Harry was curious to know what was going on in those parties. Granted, he would have liked to go, he did not want Ron to feel unimportant or unwanted. But at the same time, he did not want to offend Professor Slughorn by refusing his invitations. In order to accomplish this, he organized Quidditch practices and other activities so that they would coincide with Slughorn's parties. This mildly annoyed the jolly Professor, but he was determined to get Harry to attend at least one of his parties.

Hermione told Harry and Ron about how she had met Gwenog Jones, who was the Captain of the Quidditch team Holyhead Harpies. She described Gwenog as being a little "full of herself," but she did take some time to listen to what other people had to say. She had taken a moment to personally congratulate Hermione for being the one to carry the first child of The Boy Who Lived. Evidently, Hermione had misjudged Gwenog when she claimed that she was conceited.

On the subject of Quidditch, Gryffindor's first game was nearing. The entire team was becoming better at each practice, with the unfortunate exception of Ron. Harry was starting to worry about how the game would turn out.

Finally, the day arrived when Gryffindor and Slytherin would face each other on the Quidditch field. Harry quickly got a plan set out. That morning at breakfast, Ron was feeling very depressed. Lavender Brown was trying to cheer him up on her own. For some reason, she had been following Ron around ever since the start of the sixth year. One could easily assume that she was attracted to him. At any rate, Ron was not particularly hungry at breakfast, but he was very thirsty. Harry courteously offered him a glass of pumpkin juice.

Hermione almost immediately caught on to Harry's plan. She cautioned Ron not to drink the pumpkin juice, but he went ahead and drank it anyway. He then commented that Hermione was just overreacting and made his way down to the field ahead of everyone else. His mood had significantly improved by then.

The rest of the team headed down to the field. Hermione stopped Harry and told him "Harry, have you lost your mind? You could get expelled for that!"

"Not likely." he commented nonchalantly.

"Harry, this is no laughing matter!" Hermione raised her voice. "If anyone were to find out about that, you would definitely get thrown out."

Harry started to rub his chin and muttered sarcastically "Let's see, here… who was it that Confunded Cormac during the tryouts?"

Hermione's hand suddenly came sailing out of nowhere towards his face. With the reflexes of a cat, Harry raised his arm up and grabbed her wrist in midair.

The two of them just looked at each other. Hermione had just tried to slap Harry for the first time ever since they had slept together. Concerned, Harry let go of Hermione's wrist and asked her if everything was alright.

She just sat down and told him "I'm sorry. It's been a while since I've had a dose of those tablets Fred and George gave me to control my mood swings. My feelings must be catching up with me."

Harry understood how she was feeling and sat down next to her. He patted her on the back and whispered into her ear "I didn't really spike Ron's drink with Felix Feliciis. I only led him to believe that I did to see what effect it would have on his playing."

She looked at him and her look of sorrow quickly changed to a look of contentment. Harry quickly added in "But don't let him know that. We should wait until afterwards to tell him."

Harry checked the time and discovered that it was almost time for the game to start. He picked up his Firebolt and stood up. Before he exited the Great Hall and travelled down to the Quidditch court, Hermione kissed him on the check and warmly whispered "Good luck!" into his ear.

Harry made his way down to the fields where the cheering crowds had already assembled. It was a rather beautiful day outside. Harry was also surprised to hear that Vaisey, the best Chaser in Slytherin had suffered a serious injury during practice the previous day. In addition to this, Malfoy had not shown up for the game. He had been replaced by Harper, a rather incompetent understudy.

After Harry shook hands with Urquhart, the Captain of the Slytherin team, Madam Hooch gave the signal to begin the game.

For the past five years, the commentary at each Quidditch game had been conducted by Lee Jordan, a friend of Fred and George Weasley. But Lee had graduated that year, so he had been replaced. His replacement, the ostentatious Zacharias Smith, was giving some rather rude comments about each of the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. For some unknown reason, he had made it his personal goal to point out all the team's flaws.

He first tried to criticize Ron for his unimpressive performance at the position of Keeper from the previous year. But his description of Ron was badly misinterpreted. He tried to find something to point out in the new Beaters, Peake and Coote, but they proved to be very good at their positions. All the while, his insults were met with jeers and scornful remarks from the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw spectators.

Finally, Smith decided to target the leader of the Gryffindor team..

"And over there is Harry Potter, the Gryffindor team Captain." Smith announced. "As we all know, he's the one responsible for Hermione Granger's condition. Just imagine the pressure that the two of them are under. It's a wonder Potter can fly straight with such a thing constantly being on his mind."

"Smith, either stick to the game," McGonagall shouted at the Hufflepuff student, "or shut your mouth!"

"Yes, Professor." Zacharias grumbled, resuming his commentary on the game.

Harry grinned and thought to himself _You tell him, Professor_.

Quite frankly, Harry did not give a damn what Smith thought of him. The feeling was shared by the rest of the team.

Ron managed to stop every single shot of the Quaffle from going in at the rings. Harry caught the Golden Snitch shortly after the round had begun. It was a very embarrassing defeat for Slytherin to endure.

Later, he revealed to Ron that he had not really taken any Felix Felicis that morning at breakfast. He had just misled him into believing that he had. This made Ron feel very good about himself, but Hermione seemed to be greatly annoyed.

There was a party in the Gryffindor common room later on that day. Ron was the life of the party, but during the middle of it, he had disappeared with Lavender. Harry had spotted the two of them making out behind a tapestry.

He wanted to spend some time with Hermione; what with schoolwork, Quidditch, and other various items of business, the two of them had not spent much time together since their first trip to Hogsmeade.

Harry found Hermione sitting in an empty classroom practicing a few spells. When he walked in, she smiled sweetly at him, and he smiled back. He sat down next to her and gazed at her abdomen. Two more weeks and she would be six months through her pregnancy. The weeks seemed to be going by so quickly for the both of them, that they themselves could not believe how much time had already past since the moment of their child's conception. But in reality, they were hoping that the last three and one-half months would not go by as quickly. They wanted to savor the time they would have together before the baby was born.

Note: I have decided to have everybody wait to find out the baby's gender. I just want all of you who were expecting to see Harry and Hermione visit a Muggle doctor for an ultrasound or a Healer for a sort of complicated spell that can examine the fetus know that neither of these events will occur.


	14. Baby Shower

Note: As some of you may have noticed, I'm trying to stay as faithful to the books as possible, but I'm making a few addendums and "improvements" along the way in order for my story to make more sense. Please let me know if this makes the chapters seem at all vague or difficult to understand at certain times.

Harry's popularity soared even higher than it had been before the Quidditch match. Several members of the opposite sex from each of the seven years were finding him almost irresistible. At least one in thirty of the school's female student population was planning on sneaking Harry love potions. Each one was in hopes that he would leave Hermione for her.

Fortunately, Hermione had notified Harry of these little "conspiracies" before they had even started. But that did not stop several of the girls from trying anyway.

Less than an hour after Harry had warned Hermione, Romilda Vane had offered him a Gillywater in the Gryffindor common room. He politely refused, but wasn't off the hook yet. Romilda gave him a box of Firewhiskey-laced Chocolate Cauldrons as a gift. He simply told her "Thanks" and went to stash them in his trunk.

After that occurrence, Harry decided that he would not accept a free drink from anybody at Hogwarts. He decided that he wouldn't even accept one from a member of the male population. His reasoning was there was a chance that a member of the female population may have spiked the drink with a Love Potion and bribed the male student to give Harry the drink.

Relatively speaking, November seemed to zoom by faster than a Firebolt broomstick in pristine condition. Soon December was upon Hogwarts, and everyone was making plans for the Christmas Break. Harry and Hermione planned to spend it with Ron and his family at The Burrow. They made a note to discuss some of their objectives for the future while they were there.

Pavarti and Lavender were planning on throwing the expectant couple a baby shower before the break began. Pavarti and her twin sister, Padma, had seen to writing the invitations; Lavender and Ron took the responsibility of delivering them.

They held the baby shower in the Transfiguration Classroom, which Professor McGonagall was more than happy to let them borrow for one afternoon. Pavarti and the others took the time to decorate it. They had put up some poster boards with the word CONGRATULATIONS written on them in large letters. Other than that, the decorations were relatively modest.

Hermione had insisted on a "quiet shower." The shower was a little less quiet than she had in mind. But everyone there was happy for her and Harry.

Ron had gotten butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and all other sorts of refreshments from the kitchen. During the party, he let slip that the House Elves had told him to extend their best wishes to Hermione for them.

"You TOLD them the reason for why you were there, Ron?" asked Harry irritably.

"Yeah, I did." Ron answered simply. "So what? Virtually everyone else in the school knows."

"That is true, but this is not something you just blurt out." said Hermione.

"Harry, Hermione, relax, you're overreacting." said Dean.

Harry realized that Dean had a point. He sat down next to Hermione and said "You're right, Dean. Sorry about that, Ron. Hermione and I just have a lot on our minds right now."

"I know." Ron smiled at his two best friends. "But I should probably let you know, the House Elves did not seem concerned for the reason of why I was there."

"They actually seemed indifferent about the subject." said Lavender, who had accompanied Ron to the kitchen to help him with the refreshments.

"No doubt they were too preoccupied with work to have any thoughts on it." commented Hermione.

Hermione was still a strong advocate of House Elves' rights, but nobody seemed to side with her on the subject, not even the House Elves themselves. In fact, the House Elves would have been the last ones to take her side, as working was all they thought about.

After best wishes and gifts were given, the rest of the baby shower was pretty much laughing and talking. The gifts included various books on childrearing for wizards and witches, references to ideal child support agencies, and a few toys for the baby. Some of them were ones that Harry and Hermione were unfamiliar with, as they were made specifically for children in the world of magic.

"Thanks, Luna…" Hermione began as she unwrapped the fifth-year Ravenclaw girl's gift. The gift was a set of three bracelets. They were all white and they had a green emerald on one side. One of them was a little smaller than the other two in terms of its radius. Hermione looked up at Luna and asked her "What are they?"

"They're Baby Bracelets." Luna explained. "The smaller one is supposed to go around the baby's wrist. The other two are worn by the parents. Whenever the baby is need of anything- feeding, changing, or rocking to sleep- the emeralds on the parents' bracelets light up and vibrate. They're like the Wizard equivalent of a… of a… what do you call that thing again?"

"What thing, Luna?" asked Ginny.

"I can't remember what exactly," said Luna, "but I do recall that it is something used by Muggle parents to listen in on their children when they are babies."

"A baby monitor?" Harry guessed.

"That's it!" Luna nodded. "The bracelets are the Wizard equivalent of a baby monitor."

Harry and Hermione looked interested in the Bracelets. They would certainly come in handy over the summer and beyond that.

"Have you given any thoughts on godparents yet?" inquired Neville.

"We plan to work that out over the break." Harry answered. He was sitting next to Hermione with his arm around her shoulders. Obviously, they were the center of attention even after the shower had ended.

"Are there any promising candidates among us?" asked Padma.

"Maybe." Harry grinned. Hermione nudged him sharply in the side. Harry quickly added "But like I said before, we plan to work it out over the break."

"We look forward to hearing your decisions." said Neville.

"You know, from the moment I met you two, I had a feeling you would end up together." said Seamus truthfully.

Everybody scoffed at that statement, including Harry and Hermione. When they first met each other, they did not like each other at all. Hermione and Ron did not like each other either. But after Harry and Ron had saved Hermione from that troll in their first year, she became their friend.

Of course, even back then, Harry and Hermione had no idea that they would be having a baby less than six years later.

Another hour later, the baby shower ended and everybody helped clean up the room before classes resumed the following day.


	15. The Plans Are Made

Just before the break came Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. Slughorn had requested that everybody arrive with a member of the opposite sex whom they deemed as a close friend. Harry and Hermione, naturally, would have gone together, but Slughorn had requested that they find someone else to go with. He wanted as many people as possible to be able to attend his party, so he asked that at least one of the two of them bring a friend that was not already on the list to the party.

Hermione was, for some reason, very annoyed of Ron's public display of his relationship with Lavender Brown. Even after she had gotten pregnant, she and Harry had been very discreet about their relationship in public. Ron, on the other hand, was bragging and gloating about how he was going out with Lavender. Subsequently, Hermione was feeling a strange desire to annoy Ron in return.

She decided to annoy him in the same way he annoyed her: she would attend the party with someone who had talents similar to Ron's, and would make him jealous of the said person. Unfortunately, she did know that there were not many people who would ask a pregnant girl to a party. However, Cormac McLaggen, the runner-up for the position of Keeper at the Gryffindor Quidditch trials, had approached her and hinted that he would be interested to attend the party with her. She decided to accept his offer and the two of them went together. But Hermione made sure that McLaggen kept his distance. Even though McLaggen may have appeared unpleasant, he respected Hermione's personal space.

Subsequently, this left Harry as the person who needed to invite someone who was not already in the Slug Club. A few hours before the party, he ran into Luna and walked and talked with her. During their conversation, Harry impulsively asked her if she would like to attend the party with him. She seemed a little hesitant at first, but decided to accept his offer.

Several members of the school's faculty had attended Professor Slughorn's party that night. A few notable guests included Professor Trelawney, Professor Snape, and a writer named Eldred Worple and his vampire friend Sanguini.

Worple spent a lot of time talking to Harry and Hermione. He told Harry that he was interested in writing a biography about him. If Harry had accepted his offer, Worple would have been the first to mention how he and Hermione were expecting. Although Worple's offer sounded interesting, Harry declined and went to join Hermione.

Apparently this idea of asking another person to the party had not been such a wise idea after all. Hermione had encountered McLaggen underneath the mistletoe and narrowly "escaped."

During the party, Mr. Filch came into the room, pulling in Draco Malfoy by the ear. Filch told Slughorn that Malfoy had claimed that he had been invited. Slughorn answered that to his knowledge, Malfoy had not been invited by anyone from the Slug Club or Slughorn himself. Filch was about to give Malfoy detention, but Slughorn insisted he pardon the student from detention and allow him to join anyway. It was Christmas, after all!

During the party, Snape went over to Malfoy and escorted him out of the room. Harry's curiosity about Malfoy's mysterious behavior was immediately revived. He told Hermione and Luna "I'll see you later" and walked out the room. He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, draped it over himself, and quietly went after his least favorite classmate and least favorite teacher as they travelled down the corridor. Soon they entered a classroom and shut the door. Harry pressed his ear against the keyhole and listened to what they were saying.

He was able to make out most of their conversation. The words "Aunt Bellatrix," "Occlumency," "protection," and "glory" were used. One term that struck his interest was "the Unbreakable Vow." He had never heard of such a thing before, and decided that he would ask somebody else- say, Ron- about it later.

Finally, the break itself arrived. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all travelled home to The Burrow to begin the break.

As soon as they arrived, Mrs. Weasley escorted everyone inside and began to make a meal for them. While she cooked, she asked Hermione how she had handled her second trimester at Hogwarts. Naturally, Hermione spared no details and informed Mrs. Weasley about everything. Harry and Ron quickly excused themselves from the room in order to avoid becoming bored to tears. But Mrs. Weasley, being the motherly person she was, paid close attention to everything Hermione had to say. It was obvious that she was concerned for how everything in the pregnancy went.

Over the next few days, Harry and Hermione discussed their plans regarding the future. Their plans included who to make the baby's godparents and what they would name the baby.

The plan that took the highest precedent was deciding where they would keep the baby until the summer break began. They decided to settle this one as quickly as possible.

On the third day after the Christmas break had begun, Harry and Hermione sat alone in The Burrow's sitting room, discussing where they should have the baby stay until summer vacation. They found that Sirius' offer to take the baby in at 12 Grimmauld Place did have a certain appeal, but all the same, Harry and Hermione didn't seem appropriate for two Gryffindor students to have their child spend its first months in a house that belonged to a Slytherin family for many years. Even though Sirius had been in Gryffindor and both Harry and Hermione trusted him completely, they did not feel entirely comfortable with having the baby live in a Slytherin house.

Now, Mrs. Weasley had willingly offered to take care of the baby at The Burrow. Both Harry and Hermione had a lot of respect for her, and they had no doubt that she was an expert on childrearing. But she and her husband were both over forty years old. Harry and Hermione thought that a middle-aged couple may be lacking a few qualities that a younger couple possessed. But having the baby stay at The Burrow was a preferable alternative to having it stay at 12 Grimmauld Place until summer began.

An ingenious idea had popped up in Harry's mind a few days earlier. He turned to his lover and told her about it: "Hermione, I have an idea. It may seem somewhat amateur and rash right now, but I think that if we work all the details out, it could work."

"What's your idea?" she asked in interest.

"Maybe, just maybe," Harry explained, "we could take care of the baby ourselves at Hogwarts."

Hermione was surprised to say the least. "I don't know about that, Harry. I don't think Dumbledore would-"

"Don't worry about that." Harry grinned. "It wouldn't be the first time a pair of students has taken care of a baby at Hogwarts. I looked it up in a book about Hogwarts. Even your 'favorite book,' _Hogwarts, A History_, did not have that information."

"Do you really think Dumbledore would accept this?" asked Hermione.

"Well, Dumbledore's definitely the kindest, most understanding Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen." Harry pointed out. "Since there have been Headmasters before him who have allowed students to fully fulfill their roles as parents at Hogwarts before, then I'm sure that Dumbledore will let us bring our baby up there for a year and a half."

"But what about our schoolwork and classes?" asked Hermione.

"I've worked it all out myself." Harry explained "During the school day, I have three class periods off. I can take care of the baby during those three. We can ask people who have the rest of the periods off to babysit for us during that time. I can pay them for their troubles."

"That does sound fair." Hermione commented. "However, do you have any ideas for where the baby should sleep?"

"I've got that all worked out, too." said Harry. "We can bring the crib up to Hogwarts for it-"

Harry suddenly stopped himself. Hermione noticed that he was somewhat bothered by what he just said. "What is it?" she asked.

"I hate having to refer to the baby as 'it.'" Harry explained. "It makes me feel like we're classifying the baby as an object and not a person."

"That may be the main reason why some expectant parents find out the gender of their child ahead of time." Hermione theorized. "If you want, we could find that out the gender of our baby in advance, too."

"Nah, I want to be surprised." said Harry.

"I know what you mean." Hermione agreed. "I for one think that it would be worth the wait."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. Then she asked him "So, what were you saying about the crib?"

Harry continued explaining his idea: "I can bring the crib up to Hogwarts. Perhaps to be fair, one week we can have the crib in my dorm, and the week after that we can put it in yours. We could switch off every other week."

"But what about our roommates?" Hermione queried. "I'm sure that Pavarti and Lavender would be irked if the baby kept waking them up in the middle of the night whenever it- I mean he or she- cries."

"Believe me, Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ron would quickly become annoyed, too." said Harry. "But I've prepared for that, too. As you know, the Half-Blood Prince came up with a spell that creates a buzzing sound in people's ears in order to distract them. I recently discovered that he came up with another spell involving the ears. This curse turns off the hearing of anyone it's used on and remains in place until the counter-curse is used. Whichever one of us is taking care of the baby each week can administer the curse to our roommates every night before going to bed. That way, if anyone **is** to get woken up at night; it will only be you or me."

Hermione tried to think of another flaw in Harry's plan, but she found none. She looked up at him and told him "That is a very well thought-out plan, Harry. In fact, I think it's the best one we've considered."

In the end, they agreed that Harry would propose this idea to Professor Dumbledore the next time the two of them had a meeting in his office.

Soon they had worked out all their plans, and then they spent the rest of the break enjoying their time off. They especially enjoyed the time they shared alone with each other and they came to treasure it. As both of them knew very well, they only had about a month and a-half of it left. After that, they would be facing a huge responsibility for at least the next seventeen years.

Question: Any suggestions for godparents? I can handle the baby's name on my own, but I'm not sure about godparents.


	16. Matters To Attend To

Christmas Break was rather enjoyable that year. Sirius, Tonks, and Lupin had all dropped in on Christmas Day. Harry asked Sirius or Lupin if either of them had ever heard of the Half-Blood Prince. He had had reason to believe that it may have been his father. But Sirius and Lupin reminded Harry that his father was a pureblood. So that theory went down the drain very quickly.

Even Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother who had been deemed a traitor by the Order of the Phoenix, had dropped in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

However, his reasons soon became all too clear. He had not come alone; Rufus Scrimgeour, Cornelius Fudge's successor to Minister of Magic, had accompanied Percy. While Percy took some time to talk to his family, Scrimgeour asked if someone would show him to their garden. He involuntarily asked Harry to show him the garden.

Shortly after the two of them were alone outside, they started walking through the garden. Scrimgeour soon got down to business and spoke to Harry about Dumbledore and what currently went on at Hogwarts. Ever since Umbridge's death, the bureaucrats at the Ministry had had no one relaying them news about Dumbledore's actions from within the school itself. Scrimgeour asked him all about Dumbledore, but Harry refused to tell him anything that violated Dumbledore's privacy. After Scrimgeour realized that Harry was "Dumbledore's man through and through," he dropped the subject and moved on to a new one.

"I understand that you will become a father soon, Potter." Scrimgeour commented.

"That is correct, sir." Harry nodded.

"How does that make you feel?" inquired Scrimgeour.

"I look forward to it, to tell you the truth." Harry answered the Minister. "I will have the opportunity to be the father I never have."

"I should probably let you know that most Aurors these days do not have families." said Scrimgeour. "Yes, that is correct; I know that your ambition is to become an Auror. I will not force you to change your ambition, but there is something I should caution you about."

"I'm listening." said Harry.

Scrimgeour stared Harry right in the eye and told him "Many Dark Wizards these days are particularly vindictive towards their adversaries. The desire for revenge is strong in the grand majority of them. If you were to capture one of them, you would turn in him. He would go through extensive tests involving Legilimency and Veritaserum. After being interrogated, he would stand trial. If he was to escape our custody before that time, he would want to kill the person or persons who played a role in his arrest. But first, he would want to kill their families. In your case, the first people he would come after would be Miss Granger and your child."

"I would protect both of them with my live." Harry told him without the slightest change in his mood. "Voldemort himself could not pull me apart from them."

Scrimgeour opened his mouth to say something else. But before he could, Harry said "Minister, I realize that you are trying to influence me to rethink the decision I made to become an Auror. So I am going to let you know right now that there is nothing you can do to make me change my mind. I plan to become an Auror, and I will not rest until Voldemort and his followers have been vanquished."

The two of them just stared at each other for a few moments. Then Scrimgeour told Harry one last thing: "Because Miss Granger is due to give birth sometime within the next seven or eight weeks, we have decided that someone who is a trained expert in midwifery should be in close vicinity to her until after she gives birth. Starting when you return to Hogwarts, there will be a Healer waiting in standby mode in the school's hospital wing."

Harry nodded and said with an expression of indifferent tension "Thank you, sir. That's about the kindest thing the Ministry has done for me all year."

Not another word was spoken between the two of them. Harry merely turned around and stamped back to the front door of The Burrow.

The rest of the break went by very quickly. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny used the Floo system to return the Hogwarts. Once there, Harry was soon notified of his next appointment with Dumbledore.

They arrived at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room shortly afterwards. The Fat Lady giggled when Hermione said the new password, _Abstinence_. Hermione ignored this and entered the common room with her friends.

Sure enough, Scrimgeour was true to his word about the Healer being stationed at Hogwarts. Healer Jerome Yost had arrived the same day that Harry and the others had returned to the school. He would pay Hermione a visit every day, usually during dinner in the Great Hall, and ask her how she had felt. She would tell him that the baby was eager to be born (based on the kicks she was feeling from within her body) and Yost would tell her that the proper time for her child's birth had not yet arrived.

At their next meeting, Harry discussed his plans for keeping the baby at Hogwarts with Dumbledore. Dumbledore saw Harry's suggestion as reasonable and acceptable, and he quickly confirmed the idea.

Harry quickly became very excited and he let Hermione know about the good news. The day after their meeting, they had all the supplies they needed to take care of a baby transferred to the Gryffindor common room and they divided everything up into two groups. Harry set up his half of the supplies in his dorm and Hermione set up her half in her dorm. Sure enough, their roommates were more than happy to go along with the plan, "as long as they never forget to apply that charm that makes people go deaf for a short time," as Ron pointed out.

The next item of business they needed to address was who would watch the baby during certain periods of the day. They limited their search to Gryffindors; as they did not want their child to have to leave the Gryffindor tower unless absolutely necessary.

The search took almost a week, but Harry and Hermione managed to find somebody to babysit for them during the classes neither of them had off. This was partially thanks to the fact that Harry was paying each babysitter two Galleons, eleven Sickles, and twenty-four Knuts per day.

All but two of the issues had been settled at last. The only remaining ones were the baby's name, and the baby's godparents. However, Harry and Hermione put those matters to the side and decided to wait a while to discuss them.

Apparition lessons were being offered to anyone who turned seventeen before September of that year. The grand majority of the year signed up. One of the few who did not sign up, unsurprisingly, was Hermione. She did not want to risk any harm to the baby. However, she decided that she would sign up after the baby had been born.

Dumbledore had given Harry an assignment regarding one of the two memories of Voldemort's life they had seen at their last meeting. It was one that regarded Professor Slughorn, and it had to do with objects known as Horcruxes. Harry told Dumbledore that he would make his best effort to talk to Professor Slughorn and get him to cough up the whole memory.

He did just that a few days later in Potions. That same day in class was when they had been assigned to find a cure to various poisons. Harry had come out on top by presenting a bezoar (thanks to the Half-Blood Prince's guidance). Slughorn was greatly amused by Harry's nerve, and awarded Gryffindor another ten points.

Slughorn was still quite giddy at the end of class. Harry had lingered and asked him directly about Horcruxes. Slughorn's mood quickly changed from giddiness to agitation. He quickly shooed Harry out of the room, and that was the end of the matter.

Hermione was very angry at how Harry had managed to come out at the top of the class without doing any work, but she quickly put her anger to the side when they had dinner together that night.

Soon, Valentine's Day arrived. That holiday fell on a Friday that year, and several of the school's couples were spending as much time as possible together.

Ron and Lavender were kissing each other off and on during the three meals of the day. Harry and Hermione chose to be a little more discrete and a little less boastful during the course of the day.

After dinner, the two of them made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry helped Hermione ascend the flight of stairs that led to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Her very pregnant belly made it very difficult to travel up the stairs.

When they reached the top step, Hermione suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. Harry noticed it right away and asked her "Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione doubled over, clutched her abdomen, and gave an unpleasant moan.

Harry had his left arm on her back and his right arm on her side. In a concerned tone of voice, he asked her "Is everything okay?"

She turned to him and told him quietly "Harry, it's… it's…"

"It's what?" he asked.

She breathed in deeply and finished: "It's time."


	17. At Long Last

Harry quickly turned Hermione back around and helped her descend back down the stairs. The Fat Lady had watched every bit of what had just happened and she was widely grinning in delight. She moved to a neighboring picture and told the people there "Hermione Granger and Harry Potter are about to have a baby!"

The people in that picture quickly spread the word to the other pictures surrounding them. Pretty soon, all the pictures heard the news and started distributing it to all the people passing them by.

Harry and Hermione quickly made their way to the hospital wing. When they got there, Hermione sat down on one of the beds. Harry summoned Healer Yost and Madam Pomfrey from the latter's office. The three of them came to Hermione and helped her over to a bed in the center of the room. Harry and Yost gave Hermione some privacy as Madam Pomfrey helped her change into a medical gown. Once she was in the proper attire, they helped her onto the bed.

The only people in the entire hospital wing were Harry, Hermione, Madam Pomfrey, and Healer Yost.

Yost placed his hand over Hermione's lower chest and ran his palm over it until he felt the baby's heart. He reported "The head is facing the right way… the time between the contractions is decreasing… yes, this is definitely it! Hermione, you and Harry are about to become parents!"

Harry grasped Hermione's hand in his and looked her in the eyes. They smiled at each other. Harry could tell that Hermione was scared and nervous, but both of them knew that she was strong and she could do it.

Harry turned to Yost and asked him "How long do you think it'll be?"

"Well, the contractions are still too far apart…" Yost notified him, "but at the rate they're going, I'd that approximately one hour from now is when the baby will make its way out."

Harry turned to Hermione and kissed her on the lips. Then he told her "I'll be back in about ten minutes."

He ran out of the infirmary and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Along the way, several people were trying to tell him "Congrats" or "Good luck, buddy" as the Fat Lady had seen to it that the word was spread quickly. But he was running by too fast to pay them any heed. Soon he arrived at his house's common room and shouted "Abstinence!"

The Fat Lady swung open and let him in. He ran up to his dorm and opened his trunk. He picked out a sock, which contained his small bottle of Felix Felicis. He extracted the bottle from the sock and put the bottle in his pocket. Then he ran out of his dorm, out of the common room, and all the way back to the hospital wing.

By then, Madame Pomfrey had gotten a cart out from her office and placed it in front of the bed Hermione was lying on. On the top of the cart were some materials for cleaning the baby when it came out, a prepared diaper, and an incubator.

There were two portable posts attached to the front of Hermione's bed. They were each two feet long and the top of them divided into two different parts like a wishbone. Hermione would be placing her legs on top of them later on when the birthing process began.

Harry sat down on the bed next to Hermione's bed and showed her the bottle of Felix Felicis. He told her "I thought it would be handy to have some of this standing by."

Hermione was a little confused. She recalled "I thought Professor Slughorn said that a pregnant woman's body cannot handle Felix Felicis, even during the birthing process."

"As usual, you're right." Harry grinned. "However, he also said that Felix here can help the father during the birthing process. Say, if I were to take it, you and the baby would come out of this perfectly. For now, I'll put it to the side. But if things are to get bleak, then I'll take a few drops of Felix."

Yost had been examining Hermione's lower chest externally again. He told Harry "Based on what I've felt, you won't need that potion, Harry. Both Hermione and the baby are doing great."

Harry nodded and asked "What do we do now?"

Yost told him "It's only a matter of time now."

There was silence in that room for close to an hour. Every ten minutes, Yost ran a visual examination on Hermione's abdomen. On the sixth test, he announced "This is it. The baby will come in just a few minutes."

Yost and Madam Pomfrey helped Hermione into the correct position for giving birth. They had most of the mattress inclined upwards at a sixty-degree angle, and they put her legs on top of the posts.

Yost stood at the front of the bed with his arms outstretched. He predicted Hermione's contractions done to the second and told her "Okay, Hermione… push!"

Hermione gave a hefty push and cry of pain at the same time. Harry was to her left. He was holding onto his hand and he had no intention of letting go until this whole thing was over.

"Good, good." said Yost. "Again; just as we practiced!"

Hermione pushed harder this time. She was struggling to keep her focus steady. Harry whispered into her ear "You can do this. I know you can! Just remember: I love you. Both of you."

Hermione pushed a few more times in a row, remembering to take a moment to stop and breathe between each one.

"You're doing wonderfully!" Yost told her. "Give me one more big push, and you're done!"

Hermione took in a deep breath and then, with all the strength she could muster, pushed as hard as she could, giving out a shout of pain louder than ever before.

As Hermione caught her breath, she heard the sound of a baby wailing. Yost caught the baby in his outstretched arms and used his wand to cut the umbilical cord. He tied the cord and brought the baby over to the cart. There he and Madam Pomfrey cleaned the baby up. Yost then turned back to the bed and handled cleaning up the afterbirth. Madame Pomfrey placed the newborn on the diaper, brought the front of the diaper up between the baby's legs, and pinned it up on the sides. She then wrapped the baby in a warm blanket, and placed it in the waiting incubator.

Once the afterbirth had been cleaned up, Harry helped Hermione into a more comfortable position. The mattress was flat on the bed once again and Hermione was sitting up against her pillows. Harry was grinning at her and he told her "You did great."

She smiled in return and told him "I couldn't have done it without your moral support."

The two of them looked over at the cart. Madam Pomfrey picked the baby up and handed it to Yost. Yost turned to the two teenagers and approached them with the infant in his arms.

"Congratulations, Hermione." Yost said genially. "You've given birth to a handsome baby boy."

Yost handed Hermione the newborn child, who quickly stopped crying when he was in his mother's arms. Tears of joy started spurting from Hermione's eyes as she looked down at her son.

Harry gazed at the bundle in Hermione's arms. Harry could tell that even as a baby his son looked so much like him, but he did have Hermione's beautiful brown eyes.

"What are you going to name him?" Yost asked somewhat inquisitively.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Hermoine suggested "We could name him after your dad."

Harry shrugged and agreed "'James' would be a nice name. How about we call him 'Jimmy' and make his middle name 'Cedric' for our late friend Cedric Diggory?"

Hermione thought for a moment; then she nodded and said "That sounds like a great idea, Harry."

Harry moved his chair closer to the bed and Hermione handed him their son. Harry took him and smiled down at him, stroking his forehead delicately. Hermione placed her hand on the back of Jimmy's head and caressed it gently.

Right there at that time in the hospital wing, Harry and Hermione forgot all their troubles. They put Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and all their other adversaries out of their minds. At that very moment, everything in the universe seemed to be alright. It felt like all their troubles had momentarily vanished and it was just them, their son, and Hogwarts.

Note: It's not over yet! There's one more chapter to come!


	18. A New Life

Hermione was exhausted from the labor, but she, like Harry, took great pride in her son.

Harry wanted to spend the night in the hospital wing with Hermione and the baby. Yost and Madam Pomfrey saw nothing wrong with the idea; in fact, they were encouraging him to stay for at least the first night.

Harry went to get his pajamas from his dorm. Along the way, people were asking him if "it had happened." To this, he would respond "Yes; it's a boy."

When he returned to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey and Yost were instructing Hermione in the proper way to breastfeed. Hermione, being the quick learner she was, soon got the hang of it. She told Harry that it felt a little odd at first, but then she came to enjoy the sensation.

Harry just smiled as he looked at his lover and his child. The three of them went to sleep at around ten o'clock. Harry and Hermione first gave each other a kiss and then kissed Jimmy on the forehead. Harry collapsed into the neighboring bed and slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up bright and early. Hermione and Jimmy were both sound asleep. He got out of his bed and went over to Hermione. He gently patted her on the arm until she woke up. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

He smiled back and said "I'm going to get breakfast from the Great Hall. Do you want anything?"

She nodded and said "I'll have some bacon, some toast, and a glass of orange juice."

Harry grinned at her and left the hospital wing.

He entered the Great Hall and proceeded to walk down the center aisle. A lot of people stood up as he walked past them. A lot of them patted him on the back, shook his hand, or high-fived him.

Harry sat down with Ron, Lavender, and Ginny. The three of them did not ask him anything about the baby; they wanted to wait until they saw him with their own eyes.

Harry helped himself to some ham and eggs and started munching them down. Midway through breakfast, Dumbledore stood up and raised his arms in the air; which was his gesture for silence. Everybody quieted down and turned their attention towards the Headmaster.

"I have a small announcement to make." Dumbledore proclaimed. He looked over at Harry and flashed a grin. "First of all, I would like to issue official congratulations to Hermione Granger, who last night at 8:24 p.m. gave birth to a healthy baby boy named James Cedric Potter."

A round of applause went through the Great Hall. When the clapping subsided, Dumbledore pointed with his entire right hand at Harry and said "And now, may I have another round of applause for the baby's father, Harry Potter!"

The Great Hall erupted with thunderous applause. Every Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw had jumped onto his or her feet. Even some of the Slytherins joined in; a great number of them, actually. In fact, there were only about thirty Slytherins who did not join in.

Ron, Seamus, and Dean pulled Harry onto his feet and listen to the applause. He smiled at the ovation he was receiving from his peers. He only wished that Hermione could have been in the Great Hall to receive it to.

Harry returned to the hospital wing and gave Hermione her order of toast, bacon, and orange juice. She ate it; savoring every bite. The birthing process had made her feel a little weak, but the food helped her regain her strength.

Madam Pomfrey told Hermione that she would be confined to the hospital wing for at least the next two weeks. Hermione would have made her best effort to debate this subject, but Harry convinced her that it was for her own health.

Hermione hated missing class, but Harry was able to convince her to stay off her feet for a few weeks. He promised that he would bring her the homework from each of her classes at the end of the day.

It was a Saturday; therefore, there were no classes that day. The hospital wing received scores of visitors all day. All of them had come to see the baby. The number of people who showed up was somewhat overwhelming to both Harry and Hermione. But fortunately for both of them, Madam Pomfrey had a policy that allowed no more than six visitors at a time. And Harry counted as a visitor, so the most Madam Pomfrey would allow in was five more visitors.

Each group was allotted ten minutes for visiting. The very first group of five was composed of Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Lavender. They all crowded around Hermione's bed as she cradled her newborn in her arms.

"Harry, he's adorable." Ginny smiled at Jimmy.

"Thanks, Ginny." Harry said with a note of pride in his voice.

"He looks so much like you, Harry." Ron noticed. "Except that, of course, he doesn't have your scar."

"Or your eyes." Lavender pointed out. "He's got Hermione's eyes."

"The exact same thing happened with me." said Harry. "Everyone says that I've got my mother's eyes, but everything else I've inherited from my father."

"It must be an intrinsic genetic trait." Luna theorized.

"That could be it." Hermione agreed.

When the group was about to leave, Harry and Hermione asked Neville and Luna to stay behind for a moment. Ron, Ginny, and Lavender left the four of them alone.

"What can we do for you?" inquired Neville.

"Neville… Luna…" Harry looked around at the two of them, "Hermione and I have been thinking… and we'd like to ask you… if you would like to be Jimmy's godparents."

Neville and Luna merrily grinned at the idea.

"I would be honored." said Neville.

"Me too." said Luna.

"Excellent." said Hermione. "Know that we've got that settled, everything is in order."

Harry leaned near her and whispered concurringly "It most certainly is."

After Neville and Luna left, the two of them were alone for a few moments. Harry was still leaning very close towards Hermione. Both of them closed their eyes and kissed passionately on the lips. The amount of love the two of them had accumulated for each other and their child was immense. It was enough to form an unbreakable familial bond between the three of them. This bond was definitely not the start of something small or insignificant. On the contrary, it would be the greatest thing that ever happened to either Harry or Hermione.

Author's note: Well, what do you think? Please review! Your thoughts matter to me!

I'd like to thank everyone who read this story all the way through and provided numerous comments, including _happylady_, _H. Potter-Forever_, _Ex Mentis_, and _nightwing27_.

Secondary note: I plan to start work on a sequel very soon. It will follow through the rest of the events of _The Half-Blood Prince_ and the events from _The Deathly Hallows_.


	19. Author's Note Sequel

Author's Note: The sequel has been started! You can find it on my profile page. It is entitled "To Become A Couple."

By the way, are there any fans of CATS the musical here?


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